Re-Imagining Rwanda: Conflict, Survival and Disinformation in the Late Twentieth Century / Edition 1

by Johan Pottier

Overview

The conflict in Rwanda and the Great Lakes in 1994-1996 attracted the horrified attention of the world's media, diplomats and aid workers struggling to make sense of the bloodshed. This study shows how the post-genocide regime in Rwanda managed to impose a simple, persuasive account of Central Africa's crises upon international commentators, and explains the ideological underpinnings of this official narrative. It is a sobering analysis of how simple, persuasive, but fatally misleading analysis of the situation led to policy errors that exacerbated the original crisis.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521528733
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	09/26/2002
Series:	African Studies , #102
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	276
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

Johan Pottier is Professor of Social Anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Table of Contents

1. Build-up to war and genocide: society and economy in Rwanda and Eastern Zaire; 2. Mind the gap: how the international press reported on society, politics and history; 3. For beginners, by beginners: knowledge construction under the Rwandese Patriotic Front; 4. Labelling refugees: international aid and the discourse of genocide; 5. Masterclass in surreal diplomacy: understanding the culture of 'political correctness'; 6. Land and social development: changes, proposals and their imagery; 7. Conclusion: representation and destiny; Bibliography.

Editorial Reviews

"In this well-documented, thorough, well-organized, vigorously argued narrative, Pottier guides us through the complexities of these local realities within shifting national, regional, and international contexts. Essential." Choice

From the Publisher