Societies often institutionally commemorate histories marred by atrocity through the development of permanent memorials in efforts to create a collective memory for the nation. While scholars have documented the gendered silences within collective memories, the concrete organizational processes by which such silences are variously enforced and/or broken are less clear. This talk addresses these gendered silences through an analysis of three memory projects in post-genocide Rwanda, where gender-based violence was a centerpiece of the 1994 genocide. Based on 35 interviews with memorial guides and over 8 months of field work in Rwanda, this case highlights how gendered experiences of violence get marginalized by interrogating the micro processes in which narratives of a difficult past are constructed and shared. Disseminating narratives of gender-based violence matter as these stories shape the larger collective memory of the Rwandan genocide and determine whether women’s experiences of both victimization and survival are included in that collective memory. In understanding memorials as organizations it becomes clear how seemingly gender neutral institutions produce gendered meanings and outcomes which in turn shape larger social processes of reconciliation and civic engagement.
Coffee, juice and refreshments will be served.
