Doctoral Dissertation Research: Memorial Sites and Collective Memory

Brandeis University, Waltham MA

Investigators

Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT Doctoral Dissertation Research: Memorial Sites and Collective Memory This dissertation is an analysis of the transitional processes from mass violence to post-genocide in present day Rwanda. One way that communities aim to sustain peace post-conflict is through the construction of permanent memorials and rituals aimed at creating a collective memory that can be drawn upon for years to come. However, much of what we know about collective memory after mass violence is how it operates on national levels. Analyzing how local initiatives operate differently according to their orientation to memorialization and reconciliation can illuminate how memorials matter in the lives of survivors of violence. Additionally, focusing on the local can shed light on how survivors interact in varied ways with memorials, and in turn, how memorials shape their understanding of national unity and citizenship. This dissertation research focuses on these local dynamics by interviewing survivors in three different locations in post-genocide Rwanda (N= 70) who work at, live by or attend memorials on a daily basis. The central point of interest in this research is the narratives that emerge from engagement with memorial sites, rather than an analysis of the sites themselves. By examining how survivors understand how memorials and reconciliation programs in present day Rwanda draw upon and shape memories of the genocide, scholars can begin to understand how local politics and processes of collective memory interact with national ones. By analyzing the local narratives of those who engage with memorials on a daily basis, scholars will begin to understand the specific dynamics of those memorials that aid or hinder survivor?s experience of (or participation in) reconciliation. I hypothesize that various sites of remembrance will operate differently depending on their orientation towards memorialization vs. reconciliation. Within each category, I additionally expect that narratives will differ based on two central dimensions: the framing of, and intended audience for, the physical memorial/reconciliation program and characteristics of participants, such as age, class, gender, geography and education. This study has the potential to articulate the complicated process of reconciliation after mass trauma. By mapping out the trajectory of those survivors who found memorials or specific reconciliatory programs central in their recovery from trauma, we can then apply these findings to other cases of mass trauma. These cases could range from natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans to mass violence such as in Darfur.