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SOCIAL CAPITAL and the RWANDAN GENOCIDE A Micro-Level Analysis

Author

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  • Shanley Pinchotti

    (KU Leuven)

  • Philip Verwimp

    (Universit� Libre de Bruxelles)

Abstract

This paper applies the theory of social capital to the unfolding of genocide in a Rwandan community located 50 km south of the capital. Using the concepts defined by Putnam, Coleman and Woolcock, we find that the activities of political parties, civil war in the north of the country and the use of coercion and violence inside the community weakened existing ties between members of the two ethnic groups, Hutu and Tutsi. Within these groups however, social ties were strengthened to a degree where collective action against the minority group became a feasible option. In this process, we analyse the role of a small group of key players in the community and link their role with their political and economic status. The genocide is thus situated and interpreted in the social fabric of a Rwandan community. The paper is the result of intensive field work in Rwanda.

Suggested Citation

  • Shanley Pinchotti & Philip Verwimp, 2007. "SOCIAL CAPITAL and the RWANDAN GENOCIDE A Micro-Level Analysis," HiCN Working Papers 30, Households in Conflict Network.
    • Handle: RePEc:hic:wpaper:30
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    File URL: https://hicn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/wp30.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Verwimp, Philip, 2003. "The political economy of coffee, dictatorship, and genocide," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 161-181, June.
    2. Philip Verwimp, 2003. "The political economy of coffee, dictatorship and genocide," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/223341, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
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    Cited by:

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    4. Sarah Langlotz, 2021. "Foreign Interventions and Community Cohesion in Times of Conflict," HiCN Working Papers 352, Households in Conflict Network.
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    8. Patricia Justino, 2022. "Revisiting the links between economic inequality and political violence: The role of social mobilization," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2022-19, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

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