Description: The conflict in Rwanda and the Great Lakes in 1994-1996 attracted the horrified attention of the world's media, diplomats and aid workers struggling to make sense of the bloodshed. This study shows how the post-genocide regime in Rwanda managed to impose a simple, persuasive account of Central Africa's crises upon international commentators, and explains the ideological underpinnings of this official narrative. It is a sobering analysis of how simple, persuasive, but fatally misleading analysis of the situation led to policy errors that exacerbated the original crisis.
Brief description: Johan Pottier is Professor of Social Anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
Review Quotes: "In this well-documented, thorough, well-organized, vigorously argued narrative, Pottier guides us through the complexities of these local realities within shifting national, regional, and international contexts. Essential." Choice