Allen is correct that not all indigenous tribal groups in Africa or North America lived peacefully prior to colonization. However, as a generalization we can not also state that all groups existed in a state of hostility, animosity, or state of war.I agree with Herb that it is absurd to put so many between-group conflicts down to religious differences, but the notion that tribes in Africa tended to live peacefully together until the advent of colonialism is no more the case than that native North American tribes peacefully co-existed until the “white man” arrived.
I'm not sure who stated that Hutu and Tutsi lived largely a peaceful coexistence until colonization but this is a correct statement. Hutu and Tutsi shared religion, language, land, and indeed the boundary between definition as Hutu and Tutsi was permeable based upon number of cattle owned. Upon colonization by the Belgians, class and "race" differences were codified and a pattern of rewards, benefits, and disparities set up and magnified between the two groups. This history becomes more complex following this point and thus, I encourage individuals to read more about the region and the genocides if interested. Some recommended readings:
Gourevitch, P. (1998). We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families: Stories from Rwanda. New York: Farrar Straus and Giroux.
Highly readable text blending history, analysis, and the voices of Rwandans during the Rwandan genocide.
Des Forges, A. (1999). Leave none to tell the story: Genocide in Rwanda. New York: Human Rights Watch.
An impressive and extensive account of the Rwandan genocide.
Keane, F. (1995). Season of blood: A Rwandan journey. London: Penguin Books.
Brief accounting and analysis of the Rwandan genocide. Challenges the idea that genocide resulted from ethnic hatreds that spontaneously erupted.
Lemarchand, R. (1995). Burundi: Ethnic conflict and genocide. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Scholarly analysis of ethnic conflict and genocide in Burundi. Argues that ethnicity can be used in the course of politics to create strife and atrocity.
Mamdani, M. (2002). When victims become killers: Colonialism, nativism and the genocide in Rwanda. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Excellent text analyzing the roots of the Rwandan genocide and discussion of the role of ethnic identity from pre-colonial to post-colonial times.
Prunier, G. (1995). The Rwanda crisis: History of genocide. New York: Columbia University Press.
An excellent history and analysis of the events surrounding the Rwandan genocide.
Totten, S., Parsons, W., & Charny, I. (Eds.). (1997). Century of genocide: Eyewitness accounts and critical views. New York: Garland.
This text combines historical facts, scholarly analysis, and accounts written by survivors and witnesses. It is the element of personal testimony that enables readers to transcend the numbing effect resulting from the enormity of each genocide. Includes chapters about both the Rwandan genocide and the genocide in Burundi.
Smith, D. N. (1998). The psychocultural roots of genocide: Legitimacy and crisis in Rwanda. American Psychologist, 53, 743-753.
Excellent article challenging the commonly held belief that the Rwandan genocide was simply the result of age-old hatreds. Examines the complexity of the crisis and includes good historical background information and analysis.a
Warm regards,
Linda
-- Linda M. Woolf, Ph.D. Book Review Editor, H-Genocide Professor of Psychology Coordinator - Holocaust & Genocide Studies, Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Webster University 470 East Lockwood St. Louis, MO 63119
Main Webpage: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/ mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] "Outside of a dog, a book is a man's (and woman's) best friend. . . . Inside a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx
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