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  1. Home
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  3. Christianity and Genocide in Rwanda
  • Cited by 42
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Online publication date:
May 2010
Print publication year:
2009
Online ISBN:
9780511642043
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511642043
Subjects:
Area Studies, African Studies, History, Religion, African History, Religion: General Interest
Series:
African Studies (112)
Information

Book description

Although Rwanda is among the most Christian countries in Africa, in the 1994 genocide, church buildings became the primary killing grounds. To explain why so many Christians participated in the violence, this book looks at the history of Christian engagement in Rwanda and then turns to a rich body of original national- and local-level research to argue that Rwanda's churches have consistently allied themselves with the state and played ethnic politics. Comparing two local Presbyterian parishes in Kibuye before the genocide demonstrates that progressive forces were seeking to democratize the churches. Just as Hutu politicians used the genocide of Tutsi to assert political power and crush democratic reform, church leaders supported the genocide to secure their own power. The fact that Christianity inspired some Rwandans to oppose the genocide demonstrates that opposition by the churches was possible and might have hindered the violence.

Reviews

Reviews of the hardback:'This book is far more than a profoundly moving and convincing account of one of the late-twentieth century’s defining events. It is indispensable for scholars in fields as diverse as conflict and genocide studies, civil society, and religion generally. Longman’s analysis of Rwanda’s churches as important repositories of power, and thus inherently political organizations, capable both of buttressing authority and of challenging it, constitutes a huge theoretical advance in conceptualizing the role of religion in public life.'

Paul Gifford - School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

'The massive involvement of Christian communities in the killing of Tutsi is one of the most disturbing and controversial questions in the background of the Rwandan bloodbath. In this path-breaking inquest, Tim Longman brilliantly illuminates this long-neglected aspect of the Rwandan tragedy. His book stands as a major contribution to our understanding of the less than edifying role of the Church in Rwanda and other genocidal settings.'

Rene Lemarchand - Emeritus Professor, University of Florida

‘This thoughtful study significantly advances our understanding of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. In a bold and nuanced analysis, Longman shows how and why churches linked to the state and imbued with ‘a conservative, hierarchical, bigoted version of Christianity’ gave moral sanction to violence against Tutsi, making it easier for people to participate in the genocide. Using local case studies, the book elucidates power struggles within churches that mirrored and also shaped conflicts in civil society. This view from below provides valuable insights on the concerns and fears of ordinary people during the turbulent democratization period of early 1990s Rwanda, while Longman’s unsettling conclusions constitute a cautionary tale: ‘if religious institutions become too closely tied to state power,’ he warns, ‘they have the capacity to legitimize abhorrent state actions’.’

Catharine Newbury - Five College Professor of Government and African Studies, Smith College

'… Christianity and Genocide in Rwanda is an enlightening and enthralling account of the Christian churches' failure at both institutional and evangelical levels in Rwanda before and during the 1994 genocide.'

Source: The Journal of Africa

'Based on long-term fieldwork in Rwanda before and after the genocide, this book makes a major contribution to the literature on religion and conflict as well as on the 1994 Rwandan genocide … Longman's long-term engagement with Rwanda, as well as his familiarity with the literature in French and English on the country, has made him one of the leading American experts on the African Great Lakes region and also on religion and conflict.'

Source: International Journal of African Historical Studies

'… Longman’s insightful and original contribution provides a fresh perspective on the role of the churches in Rwanda, analyzing them as inherently political organizations that had become too closely tied to state power and continuously stressed obedience to political authorities.'

Daewon Moon Source: Africanus Journal

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