UNDERSTANDING THE POLARIZATION OF RESPONSES TO GENOCIDAL VIOLENCE IN RWANDA Theogene Bangwanubusa Ph.D. Disseration Peace and development Research School of Global Studies Gothenburg University Understanding the Polarization of Responses to Genocidal Violence in Rwanda. © Theogene Bangwanubusa 2009 Doctoral Dissertation Printed in Sweden by Geson Hylte Tryck Gothenburg. University of Gothenburg School of Global Studies Peace and Development Research Box 700, SE 405 30 Gothenburg Sweden. ISBN: 978-91-628-7974-7 http://hdl.handle.net/2077/21376 Keywords: Popular support, Obedience, Genocidal violence, Grassroots thinking, Elite, Informal elite, Social power, Ordinary people, War-displaced people, Immigration, Social taboo, Social pact, Mixed ethnic relations Layout: Theogene Bangwanubusa Cover Picture: Analysis model taken from Lederach (1997) Cover Design: Carina Tornberg ii To Gratia, Pascal, Aimé and Monique iii Table of contents TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................................................... IV PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................... VI 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 1 OUTLINE OF THE DISSERTATION ..................................................................................................................... 4 PROBLEM FORMULATION ................................................................................................................................ 5 BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM AREA.......................................................................................................................................6 POPULAR SUPPORT IN PRACTICE ................................................................................................................................................. 18 STUDY RELEVANCE AND OBJECTIVE ......................................................................................................................................... 24 RESEARCH QUESTIONS .................................................................................................................................................................... 27 SCOPE, INTEREST AND FOCUS ...................................................................................................................................................... 28 METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH .................................................................................................................... 30 ADMINISTRATION FORMALITIES AND ACCESS TO THE INFORMANTS .......................................................................... 31 THE UNITS OF ANALYSIS AND IDENTIFICATION ON THE GROUND ................................................................................. 32 SAMPLING METHODS ....................................................................................................................................................................... 34 TECHNIQUES FOR DATA COLLECTION....................................................................................................................................... 35 ANALYTIC STRATEGIES FOR DATA ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................................... 36 RESEARCH ETHICS ............................................................................................................................................................................ 37 2. CONCEPTUAL CLARIFICATION ....................................................................................................... 39 LEADERSHIP ..................................................................................................................................................... 41 SOCIAL POWER ................................................................................................................................................ 48 HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURES ....................................................................................................................................................... 51 ORDINARY PEOPLE ......................................................................................................................................... 57 OBEDIENCE ...................................................................................................................................................... 61 GRASSROOTS THINKING ................................................................................................................................. 63 THE ESSENTIALIST PERSPECTIVE ................................................................................................................................................ 69 SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVIST PERSPECTIVE .................................................................................................................................. 73 NATIONAL COMMON CIVIC IDENTITY ..................................................................................................................................... 78 3. THEORETICAL ASSUMPTIONS ......................................................................................................... 83 APPROACH TO RELATIVE DEPRIVATION ...................................................................................................... 85 DEFINITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS ............................................................................................................................................... 88 THE REFERENCE PERSON OR GROUP .......................................................................................................................................... 92 THE „IN-GROUP‟ AND „OUT-GROUP‟ CONSTRUCTION ......................................................................................................... 94 THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF RESPONSIBILITY .............................................................................................................................. 95 THE MAGNITUDE OF STRIFE .......................................................................................................................................................... 96 THE CROWD PSYCHOLOGIES ......................................................................................................................... 99 STRUCTURAL FACTORS ................................................................................................................................101 POLITICAL PROCESS MODEL .......................................................................................................................104 STRONG STATEBUILDING .............................................................................................................................106 THE CONTEXT OF CRUELTY .........................................................................................................................111 BOTTOM-UP AND TOP-DOWN PROCESSES OF CONFLICT ..........................................................................113 THE ABC-THEORY OF CONFLICT ...............................................................................................................115 iv 4. CONTEXTUAL DESCRIPTION OF THE CASE STUDIES ..........................................................117 AN OVERVIEW OF THE ELITE .......................................................................................................................119 LIMITATIONS IN DEFINITION ...................................................................................................................................................... 124 THE INFORMAL ELITE ................................................................................................................................................................... 126 ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND INCOME DISTRIBUTION ..................................................................................128 MIGRATION AND LAND ACCESS ...................................................................................................................130 BACKGROUND OF IMMIGRATION ............................................................................................................................................. 130 WAR-DISPLACED PEOPLE ............................................................................................................................................................ 133 CIRCUMSTANTIAL CONFUSION ................................................................................................................................................. 135 DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE ..............................................................................................................................138 EDUCATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS .............................................................................................................141 SOCIO-CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS .......................................................................................................144 SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................................................145 5. THE STRUCTURE OF SOCIAL RELATIONS ................................................................................147 CULTURAL BARRIERS