Making Good Citizens from Bad Life in Post-Genocide Rwanda
Turner, Simon LU
(2014)
p.21-39
- Abstract
This contribution explores the attempts by international humanitarian agencies and the post-genocide Rwandan state respectively to deal with exceptionality created by the genocide and return to normality. It does so by comparing two kinds of camps that deal with exceptional life: the refugee camps for Hutu who fled after the genocide and the Rwandan government's ingando re-education camps. While there are resemblances between the exceptional space of refugee camps and the ingando camps, there are also subtle differences. While the international community is attempting to create universal citizens out of 'bare life', the Rwandan state is attempting to create good citizens by exorcizing a concrete historical moment of violence; the Hutu... (More)
This contribution explores the attempts by international humanitarian agencies and the post-genocide Rwandan state respectively to deal with exceptionality created by the genocide and return to normality. It does so by comparing two kinds of camps that deal with exceptional life: the refugee camps for Hutu who fled after the genocide and the Rwandan government's ingando re-education camps. While there are resemblances between the exceptional space of refugee camps and the ingando camps, there are also subtle differences. While the international community is attempting to create universal citizens out of 'bare life', the Rwandan state is attempting to create good citizens by exorcizing a concrete historical moment of violence; the Hutu who enter the ingando are perceived as what I term 'bad life'. In this sense, the Rwandan state's concept of a new beginning differs from universalist claims to transitional justice in that it is specific, political and at times violent. Creating a new Rwanda is a political project which involves casting the country in a specific image.
(Less)
- author
- Turner, Simon
LU
- publishing date
- 2014-12-03
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Bad life, Good citizens, Génocidaires, Ingando education camps, International humanitarian agencies, New Rwanda, Post-genocide Rwandan state
- host publication
- Transition and Justice : Negotiating the Terms of New Beginnings in Africa - Negotiating the Terms of New Beginnings in Africa
- editor
- Anders, Gerhard and Zenker, Olaf
- pages
- 19 pages
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:84927798538
- ISBN
- 9781118944745
- 9781118944776
- DOI
- 10.1002/9781118944745.ch2
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2015 by The Institute of Social Studies. All rights reserved.
- id
- da40034c-ebb8-40e9-81c9-3ed7c61d2466
- date added to LUP
- 2025-10-30 20:48:44
- date last changed
- 2025-12-26 15:53:13
@inbook{da40034c-ebb8-40e9-81c9-3ed7c61d2466,
abstract = {{<p>This contribution explores the attempts by international humanitarian agencies and the post-genocide Rwandan state respectively to deal with exceptionality created by the genocide and return to normality. It does so by comparing two kinds of camps that deal with exceptional life: the refugee camps for Hutu who fled after the genocide and the Rwandan government's ingando re-education camps. While there are resemblances between the exceptional space of refugee camps and the ingando camps, there are also subtle differences. While the international community is attempting to create universal citizens out of 'bare life', the Rwandan state is attempting to create good citizens by exorcizing a concrete historical moment of violence; the Hutu who enter the ingando are perceived as what I term 'bad life'. In this sense, the Rwandan state's concept of a new beginning differs from universalist claims to transitional justice in that it is specific, political and at times violent. Creating a new Rwanda is a political project which involves casting the country in a specific image.</p>}},
author = {{Turner, Simon}},
booktitle = {{Transition and Justice : Negotiating the Terms of New Beginnings in Africa}},
editor = {{Anders, Gerhard and Zenker, Olaf}},
isbn = {{9781118944745}},
keywords = {{Bad life; Good citizens; Génocidaires; Ingando education camps; International humanitarian agencies; New Rwanda; Post-genocide Rwandan state}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{12}},
pages = {{21--39}},
publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
title = {{Making Good Citizens from Bad Life in Post-Genocide Rwanda}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781118944745.ch2}},
doi = {{10.1002/9781118944745.ch2}},
year = {{2014}},
}