
Rwanda Before the Genocide
Catholic Politics and Ethnic Discourse in the Late Colonial Era
J.J. Carney(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 17. October 2013
Book
Hardback
358 pages
978-0-19-998227-1 (ISBN)
Description
Between 1920 and 1994, the Catholic Church was Rwanda's most dominant social and religious institution. In recent years, the church has been critiqued for its perceived complicity in the ethnic discourse and political corruption that culminated with the 1994 genocide. In analyzing the contested legacy of Catholicism in Rwanda, Rwanda Before the Genocide focuses on a critical decade, from 1952 to 1962, when Hutu and Tutsi identities became politicized, essentialized, and associated with political violence.
This study--the first English-language church history on Rwanda in over 30 years--examines the reactions of Catholic leaders such as the Swiss White Father Andre Perraudin and Aloys Bigirumwami, Rwanda's first indigenous bishop. It evaluates Catholic leaders' controversial responses to ethnic violence during the revolutionary changes of 1959-62 and after Rwanda's ethnic massacres in 1963-64, 1973, and the early 1990s. In seeking to provide deeper insight into the many-threaded roots of the Rwandan genocide, Rwanda Before the Genocide offers constructive lessons for Christian ecclesiology and social ethics in Africa and beyond.
This study--the first English-language church history on Rwanda in over 30 years--examines the reactions of Catholic leaders such as the Swiss White Father Andre Perraudin and Aloys Bigirumwami, Rwanda's first indigenous bishop. It evaluates Catholic leaders' controversial responses to ethnic violence during the revolutionary changes of 1959-62 and after Rwanda's ethnic massacres in 1963-64, 1973, and the early 1990s. In seeking to provide deeper insight into the many-threaded roots of the Rwandan genocide, Rwanda Before the Genocide offers constructive lessons for Christian ecclesiology and social ethics in Africa and beyond.
Reviews / Votes
Carney does an excellent job situating the late colonial period within Rwanda's broader history and explaining the complexities of the ethnic discourse in Rwanda. * Becca Henriksen, Reading Religion * This is an outstanding piece of church history writing and another example of the importance of theological literacy in its writing. It should act as a siren call for anthropologists and sociologists to participate more fully in this discipline. * Ian Linden, Social Sciences and Missions *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
12 illus.
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
702 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-998227-1 (9780199982271)
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Schweitzer Classification
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Additional editions

J.J. Carney
Rwanda Before the Genocide
Catholic Politics and Ethnic Discourse in the Late Colonial Era
Book
08/2016
Oxford University Press Inc
€68.80
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J. J. Carney
Rwanda Before the Genocide
Catholic Politics and Ethnic Discourse in the Late Colonial Era
E-Book
09/2013
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€33.99
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Person
J.J. Carney is Assistant Professor of Theology at Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska. His research and teaching interests engage the theological and historical dimensions of the Catholic experience in modern Africa. He has published articles in African Ecclesial Review, Modern Theology, Journal of Religion in Africa, and Studies in World Christianity.
Author
Assistant Professor of TheologyAssistant Professor of Theology, Creighton University
Content
Table of Contents ; Acknowledgments ; Introduction ; I. Contested Categories: A Brief History of "Hutu" and "Tutsi" ; II. Building a Catholic Kingdom in Central Africa, 1900-1950 ; III. Success Breeds Restlessness, 1950-1955 ; IV. The Irruption of Hutu-Tutsi Tensions, 1956-1959 ; V. The Catholic Church & Political Revolution in Rwanda, 1959-1962 ; VI. The Catholic Church & Postcolonial Ethnic Violence ; VII. Epilogue: Lessons from Rwanda ; Appendix I: Timeline ; Appendix II: Glossary ; Bibliography ; Notes ; Index