Recognising and Responding to Genocide Denial: The Case of Rwanda
Volume edited by Catherine Gilbert, Paul Rukesha and Caroline Williamson Sinalo
Denial of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda has significantly increased in recent years, with prominent intellectuals and journalists finding a growing voice in the mainstream media and in academic institutions. This volume will bring together Rwandan and international experts from academia and civil society working on issues related to the genocide against the Tutsi and its denial.
The volume will engage in discussions about genocide denial in its many manifestations, delineating the major arguments of genocide deniers and the forms and patterns denial takes. It will also consider the consequences of genocide denial both in terms of its immediate impact on the survivor community as well as its broader impact on public opinion and political decision making. It is hoped that this volume will offer reflections on how we, as a community, can respond collectively and individually to genocide denial. We have received an expression of interest for this project from De Gruyter’s Media and Cultural Memory series, and will submit a full book proposal once we have confirmed the contributors.
We invite proposals for chapters that address the following themes:
- Historical/comparative perspectives
- Forms of denial/denial discourses
- Spectrum of denial/revisionism
- Gendered aspects of denial
- Cross-cultural/cross-borders/cultural-specific aspects of denial
- Denial in media/journalism
- Education and denial
- Academic denial
- Victim blaming
- Social media and activism
- Consequences of genocide denial on the survivor community
- Naming practices
- Famous denial case studies from around the world (e.g. Germany; France; Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, etc.)
- Issues of legitimate criticism and questioning of political regimes
Provisional timeline:
- Proposals to be submitted by Monday, 29 November 2021.
- Successful proposals to be notified in early December.
- Full chapters to be submitted by Monday, 30 May 2022.
Chapters may vary in length (anywhere between 4,000 and 8,000 words) and we would like to include a range of styles – academic articles, reflection pieces, etc.
Submission:
Please submit proposals of 300 words plus a short bio in a single Word document to catherine.gilbert@newcastle.ac.uk, caroline.williamsonsinalo@ucc.ie and Paul.Rukesha@aegistrust.org.rw.