As such, primordialism cannot fully be applied to the ethnic division between the Tutsis and Hutus groups during the intra-state conflict that dominated the genocide. On the other hand, social constructivism is slightly more applicable.
Social constructivism is a sociological theory that implies that the formation of national identity and ethnic group formation is a consequence and creation based on Rwandan history. However, constructivism is based in political and societal context and must be examined according to the specific moral edicts that permeate the minds of the citizens of a country and also the leadership of that particular nation. Social constructivists would argue that the social and political tradition of Rwanda dictates the ethnic identities of the Hutu and Tutsi peoples. The Tutsi monarchy ran the government and were more favored over the Hutu prior to 1959, when Belgium, officials began to see the Hutus as more socially acceptable.
Although this action did not initially lead to violence until 1990, the Tutsis groups did...
When Belgium colonized Rwanda, racial mixing to some extend did occur during the 1940s, which led to the formation of the Tutsi, who are a breed of European and African heritage. On the other hand, the Hutu is of pure African descent. Consequently, the general antagonism between both Tutsi and Hutu ethnic groups is better explained through social constructivism as the sentiment between both groups resulted in the 1994 genocide in which hundred of thousands of Rwandans perished.
In conclusion, a closer examination of the current state of Rwanda does not fully depict the sordid 1994 genocide that arose between the Tutsi and the Hutu groups. To date, both groups are learning to tolerate each other after several international peacekeeping interventions by the United Nations and other peace promoting agencies. While primordialism is not relevant as a sociological concept to explain the tension between both groups, social constructivism is…
