Whispering Truth to Power: Everyday Resistance to Reconciliation in Postgenocide Rwanda - Africa and the Diaspora (Paperback)

An important attempt to uncover the attitudes of the rural population to the government s remodeling of Rwanda. Georgina Holmes, Journal of Modern African Studies
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Thomson s research methods and creative engagement with these issues open new lines of inquiry and should inspire both critical review and emulation. Highly recommended for college, university, and major public library systems and those specializing in politics, international affairs, and African studies. J. P. Smaldone, Choice
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This intriguing, sophisticated book probes the subtle ways that Rwanda s poorest peasants have resisted government policies to promote post-genocide reconciliation. Choice
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Thomson shows how Paul Kagame s version of national reconciliation is designed not merely to forge a united Rwanda but also to control its citizens, shape the country s history in a self-serving manner, and ensure Kagame s hold on power. Foreign Affairs
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Besides its methodological merits, this book s strength lies in the rich ethnographic data that allow us to gain insights into peasants attitudes beyond the official rhetoric of unity and reconciliation. African Affairs
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Analyzes peasants everyday resistance strategies to Rwanda s National Policy of Unity and Reconciliation, shedding light on how state power interacts with everyday life in the politically tense context of postgenocide Rwanda. Through its bottom-up perspective, the book is an important and innovative contribution to the literature on this intensely researched country. African Studies Review"
"Provides a rich discussion of the contemporary Rwandan context, giving voice to people who are largely excluded from public discussions of Rwanda. A much-needed corrective to the cheery presentation of Rwanda in the popular press."--Timothy Longman, author of Christianity and Genocide in Rwanda
"An important attempt to uncover the attitudes of the rural population to the government's remodeling of Rwanda."--Georgina Holmes, Journal of Modern African Studies

"Thomson's research methods and creative engagement with these issues open new lines of inquiry and should inspire both critical review and emulation. Highly recommended for college, university, and major public library systems and those specializing in politics, international affairs, and African studies."--J. P. Smaldone, Choice

"This intriguing, sophisticated book probes the subtle ways that Rwanda's poorest peasants have resisted government policies to promote post-genocide reconciliation."--Choice

"Thomson shows how Paul Kagame's version of national reconciliation is designed not merely to forge a united Rwanda but also to control its citizens, shape the country's history in a self-serving manner, and ensure Kagame's hold on power."--Foreign Affairs

"Besides its methodological merits, this book's strength lies in the rich ethnographic data that allow us to gain insights into peasants' attitudes beyond the official rhetoric of unity and reconciliation."--African Affairs

"Analyzes peasants' everyday resistance strategies to Rwanda's National Policy of Unity and Reconciliation, shedding light on how state power interacts with everyday life in the politically tense context of postgenocide Rwanda. Through its bottom-up perspective, the book is an important and innovative contribution to the literature on this intensely researched country."--African Studies Review