Rwanda Before the Genocide : Catholic Politics and Ethnic Discourse in the Late Colonial Era

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 André 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. -- Publisher's Description. Contested Categories: A Brief History Of Hutu And Tutsi -- Building A Catholic Kingdom In Central Africa, 1900-1950 -- Success Breeds Restlessness, 1950-1955 -- The Irruption Of Hutu-tutsi Tensions, 1956-1959 -- The Catholic Church & Political Revolution In Rwanda, 1959-1962 -- The Catholic Church & Postcolonial Ethnic Violence -- Epilogue: Lessons From Rwanda. J.j. Carney. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [231]-336) And Index. Winner of the Bethwell A. Ogot Book Prize of the African Studies Association 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 Andr 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. Winner of the Bethwell A. Ogot Book Prize of the African Studies Association 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 André 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. Rwanda Before the Genocide analyzes the intersection of ethnic discourse, Rwandan politics, and Catholic social teaching during the critical final decade of Belgian colonial rule, exploring the many-threaded roots of the ethnic and political mythos that culminated with the 1994 genocide. This book focuses on the history of the Catholic church in Rwanda and its response to the era of ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi (1952-1962) that later developed into genocide