Nationalized Commemoration

Wood carving at Murambi Genocide Memorial Centre. Photo by Erin Jessee.

Commemorative events and sites are generally regarded as an essential part of the transitional justice toolkit to be applied in the aftermath of genocide, war and other periods of mass violence. As stated on the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) website, “victims of human rights abuses cannot forget, and states have a duty to preserve the memory of such crimes.” But when states take control of commemoration events and sites of remembrance, what is being preserved? And to what end? Theorists warn that just as memorialization as a process can promote social reconstruction, it can also “crystallize a sense of victimization, injustice, discrimination, and the desire for revenge” (Barsalou and Baxter, 1).

On Tuesday’s class, we’ll consider processes related to nationalized commemoration, whereby transitional and post-conflict governments – often with the support of the international community – facilitate the creation and maintenance of memorial sites and events that are intended to make public the range of atrocities endured by the population. Judy Barsalou and Victoria Baxter’s report on “The Urge to Remember: The Role of Memorials in Social Reconstruction and Transitional Justice” articulates the often-ignored challenges inherent in commemorative practices in the aftermath of mass atrocities. Rachel Ibreck’s journal article “The Politics of Mourning: Survivor Contributions to Memorials in Post-Genocide Rwanda” examines the varied ways that survivors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide have contributed to the process of nationalized commemoration.

In addition, if you have the time, I’d highly recommend watching Chimamanda Adiche’s Ted Talk ” The Danger of a Single Story,” and browse through the online resource: Genocide Archive Rwanda.

Modern Ethnographic Responses to Colonialism: The Case of Post-Genocide Rwanda

“We did not choose to be colonized.” Photo taken from the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre archives.

On Thursday, we’ll examine the legacies of colonial and “post-colonial” discourses for ethnographic research in post-genocide Rwanda. Drawing upon my own oral historical and ethnographic fieldwork encounters since 2007, we’ll discuss the impact of 19th and 20th century colonial discourses on Rwandan society leading up to the 1994 genocide, and their relevance for modern ethnographic research in post-genocide Rwanda. The readings include my 2011 article on “The Limits of Oral History: Ethics and Methodology Amid Highly Politicized Research Settings” and my 2012 fieldnote on “Conducting Fieldwork in Rwanda.” Additional recommended readings (both very brief) include Teju Cole’s “The White-Savior Industrial Complex” and Binyavanga Wainaina’s “How to write about Africa.”

Some possible questions for consideration include: how do past and present colonial discourses influence the practice of modern ethnography? What theoretical, ethical, and methodological considerations must we address in our efforts to work in post-colonial settings, particularly those recently affected by mass violence? And to what end? How do these considerations then shape the ethnographies we produce?

Finally, for those of you who are interested and have the spare time, I highly recommend taking 30 minutes to watch the 1986 mockumentary “Babakiueria.” It’s dated, but its criticisms of ethnography – however satirical – are as relevant today as they were in the past.

Ethics: Negotiations within and beyond “the field”

Cover image for Whispering Truth to Power (forthcoming 2013). Photo by Riccardo Gangale.

On Thursday, Susan Thomson will be joining us via skype to speak about the various ethical challenges she’s encountered surrounding her research on post-genocide Rwanda. In addition to reading Susan’s chapter on “Access and Government Interference in Highly Politicized Research Environments” (from Surviving Field Research, available for photocopying in the library reserve section under the first three letters of my last name), she’s requested that the class also look at the preface for her forthcoming book. These readings should give you a general understanding of the kinds of challenges she’s faced surrounding her work on post-genocide Rwanda. She’s also suggested that those of you who have a twitter account follow her (@susanmthomson) in the coming days to see the kinds of controversy and ad hominem attacks that surround her work.

As for your reading responses, this is an excellent opportunity for us to move beyond theory to look at the specific kinds of challenges that can surround ethnographic studies of political violence, whether in or beyond the field. Susan will be following the comments for tomorrow’s class, so feel free to post questions that you’d like her to address in her talk. And of course, there will be plenty of opportunity for follow-up questions…