Description
Book Synopsis"Fujii makes a much-needed contribution both to the field of Rwandan studies and of genocide studies, substituting data for ideology and local voices for political tracts."—David Newbury, Smith College
Trade ReviewKilling Neighbors is a fine contribution to the literature on the Rwandan genocide and offers a different kind of explanation for what occurred that accommodates the differentiation in actions among Hutu at the local level. This micro-sociological approach is welcome as community level understandings of the political can be quite different from centralized narratives. It is difficult to imagine a situation in which it is more important to capture both perspectives than the Rwandan genocide.
-- Sandra Joireman * Nations and Nationalism *
Perhaps paradoxically, by heightening readers' awareness of the manifold individual actions, the author's methodological discarding of a received category—that of the 'mass'—leads to a deeper understanding of the complex interactions that led to 'mass' killings. The book offers a thoughtful—if, for some, provocative—analysis. It also reminds us that other links remain to be investigated if we are to make sense of the imbricated webs of nationwide violence.
-- Danielle de Lame * African Studies Review *
This is an excellent book. It uses oral and written sources very well, is beautifully written and clearly argued, and is truly a pleasure to read (notwithstanding its grim subject). It intelligently describes and tries to explain the ambiguity of the genocide, a process that seems so clear (and evil) and yet, upon closer inspection, becomes far more blurry.... Killing Neighbors poses tough questions and contains far-reaching implications for thinking about genocide and civil violence more generally.
-- Peter Uvin * Perspectives on Politics *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Genocide among Neighbors
1 Conducting Fieldwork in the Aftermath of War and Genocide
2 Violence and Identity in Historical Perspective
3 Local Narratives and Explanations
4 The Enigma of Ethnicity
5 The Power of Local Ties
6 The Logic of Groups
ConclusionDramatis personae
Glossary of Kinyarwanda Terms
References
Index
