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      Citizenship, identity formation & conflict in South Kivu: the case of the Banyamulenge

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      Review of African Political Economy
      Review of African Political Economy
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            Abstract

            The objectives of this exercise are threefold. First, through a case‐study of the Banyamulenge ethnogenesis, I demonstrate that this ethnicity was never constructed in a vacuum, but in a ‘pre‐imagined’ field. The ‘creation’ of a Banyamulenge identity illustrates perfectly that ethnicities are ongoing processes of continuous change. Ethnicities are dynamic processes that result from the confrontation of a community with its socio‐economic and political environment. Contrary to what local political and social leaders like to believe about their followings, the existence of a Banyamulenge identity is not the result of pure invention. I illustrate how historical events gave meaning to the content of this identity. Second, a close look will be taken at the different internal dynamics within this community to reach a better understanding of the real content of this ethnogenesis. While the Banyamulenge in Uvira were undoubtedly subject to exclusion, widespread ethnic resentment and violence, their marginalised position is also due to a lack of coherent leadership and internal division. An inquiry into the reasons why the Banyamulenge community, even today, still lacks any coherent leadership that is capable of improving the position of their community is crucial. Finally, as recent local history in Uvira suggests, I show that political exclusion tends to be the key to conflicting identity formation. In the case of the Banyamulenge, it seems that their claims to political participation not only had the effect of hardening the boundaries between different identity groups, but also had facilitated the shift to massive violence as an enticing strategy of control and resistance. This work is mainly the result of extensive fieldwork in and around Uvira and Bukavu, complemented by what was learned from the few printed sources that exist.

            Content

            Author and article information

            Journal
            crea20
            CREA
            Review of African Political Economy
            Review of African Political Economy
            0305-6244
            1740-1720
            September/December 2002
            : 29
            : 93-94
            : 499-516
            Affiliations
            a Centre for Third World Studies , University of Ghent E-mail: koen.vlassenroot@ 123456rug.ac.be
            Article
            8704635 Review of African Political Economy, Vol. 29, No. 93-94, September/December 2002, pp. 499-516
            10.1080/03056240208704635
            8256ea19-3fa4-4fe6-ae68-d93c2089dd3d

            All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

            History
            Page count
            Figures: 0, Tables: 0, References: 23, Pages: 18
            Categories
            Original Articles

            Sociology,Economic development,Political science,Labor & Demographic economics,Political economics,Africa

            References

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            2. Depelchin Jean. . 1974. . “‘From pre‐Capitalism to Imperialism: a History of Social and Economic Formations in Eastern Zaire’ (Uvira Zone, c. 1800–1965). ”. Stanford : : Stanford University. .

            3. Dorsey Michael. . 2000. . “‘Violence and Power‐Building in Post‐Genocide Rwanda’. ”. In Politics of Identity and Economics of Conflict in the Great Lakes Region . , Edited by: Doom Ruddy and Gorus Jan. . Brussels : : VUB Press. .

            4. Ericksen Thomas‐Nylland. . 1983. . Ethnicity and Nationalism: Anthropological Perspectives . , London : : Pluto Press. .

            5. Gerald‐Libois J and Verhaelgen J. . 1966. . Congo 1966 . , Brussels , Kinshasa : : Crisp, Inep. .

            6. Hiernaux Jean. . 1965. . ‘Note sure les Tutsi d'Itombwe. La position anthropologique d'une population émigrée’. . Bulletin et Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris . ,

            7. Kajiga G. . March. 1956 . “‘Cette immigration séculaire des Rwandais au Congo’. ”. March. ,

            8. Lemarchand René. . 2000. . “‘Ethnicity as Myth: The View from the Central Africa’. ”.

            9. Mamdani Mahmood. . 1996. . Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism . , Princeton : : Princeton University Press. .

            10. 2001. . When Victims Become Killers: Colonialism, Nativism, and the Genocide in Rwanda . , Princeton : : Princeton University Press. .

            11. Masson Paul. . 1965. . La Bataille pour Bukavu . , Brussels : : Dessoret. .

            12. Muzuri Gasinzira. . 1983. . L'évolution des conflits ethniques dans l'Itombwe, des origines à nos jours, mémoire . , Lubumbashi : : Université de Lubumbashi. .

            13. Nyandwe M. . 1979. . La rebellion de 1964 dans le Territoire de Fizi et ses conséquences, mémoire de licence . , Lubumbashi : : Université de Lubumbashi. .

            14. Ruberangabo Enock. . 13 August. 1998 . “‘Mémorandum aux délégueés de la communauté Banyamulenge réunis en session à Bukavu sur l'avenir de leur communauté’. ”. 13 August. , Bukavu :

            15. Ruhimbika Manassé. . 2001. . Les Banyamulenge (Congo‐Zaïre) entre deux guerres . , Paris : : l'Harmattan. .

            16. Van Hoyweghen Saskia and Vlassenroot Koen. . 2000. . “‘Ethnic Ideology and Conflict in Sub‐Saharan Africa: The Culture Clash Revisited. ”. In Politics of Identity and Economics of Conflict in the Great Lakes Region . , Edited by: Doom Ruddy and Gorus Jan. . Brussels : : VUB Press. .

            17. Verhaegen Benoît. . 1969. . Rébellions au Congo . , Brussels , Kinshasa : : Crisp, Ires, Inep. .

            18. Marysse Stefaan and Reyntjens Filip. , eds. 1997. . “‘Du Congo 1964 au Zaïre 1997: Similitudes et divergences’. ”. In L'Afrique des Grands Lacs: Annuaire 1996–1997 . , Paris : : L'Harmattan. .

            19. Vlassenroot Koen. . 2000. . “‘Identity and Insecurity: The Building of Ethnic Agendas in South Kivu’. ”. In Politics of Identity and Economics of Conflict in the Great Lakes Region . , Edited by: Doom Ruddy and Gorus Jan. . Brussels : : VUB Press. .

            20. Weis Georges. . 1959. . Le pays d'Uvira: Etude de géographie régionale sur la bordure occiden‐tale du lac Tanganika . , Brussels : : Académie royale des sciences coloniales. .

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            23. 1997. . ‘Les Banya‐rwanda et les Banyamulenge’. . Cahiers Africains . ,

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