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David and Catharine Newbury were stunned by the genocide that rocked Rwanda in
1994, involving the brutal slaying of hundreds of thousands of people --
including many of their friends.
But, as leading experts on central Africa, the two Carolina professors were
disappointed by news and commentary that portrayed the violence as the result
of ancient tribal hatred.
Now, with a $99,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation, they hope to present a different view, one based on a more solid
historical foundation, by writing the first comprehensive English-language
history of Rwanda.
The Newburys, who have been on the Carolina faculty since 1986, met in graduate
school at the University of Wisconsin in Madison in the late 1960s. They lived
and studied in and around Rwanda from 1969 to 1975, and again for two stints in
the 1980s. They also returned to Rwanda for shorter visits in the 1990s, before
and after the genocide.
When the genocide began, the Newburys were teaching at Carolina. "We had some
indication that something was beginning to happen," said David Newbury,
associate professor of history. "But we had no idea of the extent to which the
violence would erupt and penetrate the entire country."
The scope and brutality of the slayings attracted worldwide attention on what
was often portrayed as an age-old ethnic conflict -- Hutu against Tutsi.
"That was not only wrong, it was fatal, for it led to poorly designed policy
responses," David Newbury said. "If it's tribal warfare, then there is nothing
that can be done. But if it's state violence, as we believe, then your policies
and responses are quite different."
Catharine Newbury, associate professor of political science and African and
African-American studies, said people think that Hutu and Tutsi identities are
rigid and have existed over a long period of time.
"But we found that they have lived together closely for generations, and even
intermarried," she said. "So it's not just about one ethnic group against
another."
The Newburys say the violence was sparked by political leaders who exploited
ethnic differences.
"Power relationships have shaped ethnic interaction more so than ethnicity
itself," said Catherine Newbury. "That's really important to understanding this
conflict" and the continuing violence in neighboring Congo, where Rwanda's army
maintains control.
Now is the time to put it all into historic context, the Newburys say. Before
the 1960s, history books tended to draw on racial and colonial stereotypes,
they note. And most of the post-colonial literature, which offers a new
perspective, is found either in academic outlets or in French-language journals
and archives in Europe.
The Newburys have been analyzing these sources and drawing on their own
research for more than 30 years. Catharine Newbury is the author of the book,
The Cohesion of Oppression: Clientship and Ethnicity in Rwanda,
1860-1960. David Newbury is author of King and Clans: A Social History
of the Lake Kivu Rift Valley and African Historiographies: What History
for Which Africa?
Their new book will span 300 years of Rwandan history -- before, during
and after colonial rule -- leading up to the current violence. The Newburys
intend to go beyond chronology to explore the social, cultural and political
dynamics of the past, including regional differences, gender, religion and
ecology. Their work will identify periods of cooperation as well as conflict,
and highlight examples of local initiatives as well as state power, examining
possibilities for social reconciliation.
There are no easy answers to the problems plaguing Rwanda, but the Newburys
believe that understanding the past may help find the key to the future. "Only
Rwandans can make their future, but outsiders can be helpful," they wrote in
their book prospectus. "Well-grounded history matters when dealing with
violence. That is all we can seek to do."
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