Gender and Genocide in Burundi: The Search for Spaces of Peace in the Great Lakes Region

Burundi, like Rwanda, Congo, and Uganda, is linked to patterns of recurrent genocidal violence that have shaped events in the African Great Lakes region. In Gender and Genocide in Burundi, Patricia O. Daley argues that sexual patterns of violence have become more pervasive as male and Western-dominated cultures of impunity devalue lives across the region. In her view, only a revised feminist-historical approach to understanding violence and a reformed peace process, on local as well as international levels, will bring genocide to an end. By bringing gender to bear, Daley breaks down divisions at places where violence or social injustice has been reproduced in the past and illustrates how the protracted nature of oppression, warfare, and endemic violence can come to an end. Daley's unique insight into the politics of genocide shows how a new gender-oriented paradigm that emphasizes rights and humanity can make "never again" a reality.

"An invaluable gift for students of African politics, this book provides an excellent overview of Africa's place in the world." --Noel Twagiramungu, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, International Jrnl African Historical Studies, Vol. 42.2 2009 Indiana University Press

"This is a book that covers a lot of ground--historically, theoretically, and geographically; in doing so it reflects the author's many years' commitment to the country and the region....This is the first book since the mid 1990s to thoroughly analyze Burundian politics--and much has changed in Burundi since then. --Simon Turner, Danish Institute for International Studies" --AFRICAN STUDIES REVIEW

"Offers some very valuable insights into the politics of genocide and the current peace process." --Koen Vlassenroot, University of Ghent

"This work is an original and masterly contribution to African studies and the global literature on violence in the post-Cold war era." --Wendy James, Oxford University Indiana University Press

A feminist perspective on genocidal politics in Africa

Patricia O. Daley is a lecturer in Human Geography at the School of Geography, Jesus College, Oxford University.

Preface and acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Tables

Glossary

Maps

1. Introduction: A Culture of Genocidal Violence: Burundi and the Great Lakes Region

2. Constructing a Paradigm of Violence: A Feminist Perspective on Genocidal Politics

3. The Colonial State and the Ethnicization and Masculinization of Political Space

4. The Masculinized State and the History of Genocide

5. Genocidal Politics, 1992-2005, in the Context of Democracy and Development

6. Spaces of Violence: Exploring the Contours of "Civilian" and Gendered Violence

7. The Traditions of Genocide and Militarism in the Region

8. Global Humanitarianism and the Dehumanization of African Refugees

9. Challenging Genocide: Regional and International Peace Initiatives

10. Peace in a State of War: The Peace Agreement and Its Implementation

11. Conclusion: Creating Spaces of Peace: An African Feminist Agenda

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Maps

1. The Great Lakes Region

2. Burundi: Provinces

3. Bujumbura: Districts

4. Refugees and Displaced Peoples in the Region

5. Burundi Refugee Camps in Tanzania