ISBN 9789970027194
Pages 180
Dimensions 216 x 140 mm
Published 2008
Publisher Fountain Publishers, Uganda
Format Paperback

The Politics of Empowerment of Banyarwanda Refugees in Uganda 1959-2001

by Elijah Dickens Mushemeza

The Politics of Empowerment of Banyarwanda Refugees in Uganda 1959-2001 introduces empowerment discourse to the nexus between politics, security; and forced migration and refugees. Conceptualized as a group process where people, who lack their share of valued resources, strive to gain greater access to, and control over, those resources; empowerment of Banyarwanda refugees was possible through a protracted struggle. The book explores how the Banyarwanda refugees achieved reasonable levels of integration in Ugandan society because of similar demographics, social, economic, and cultural characteristics with the Ugandan population in the areas they settled. Had the Ugandan state not broken down in the late 1970s and 1980s, these refugees would have, perhaps acquired naturalization - a veritable form of empowerment. In contrast, although most Hutu and Tutsi refugees achieved meaningful levels of integration (as some were treated badly and abused with derogatory language), their leaders and some of the elites never gave up the dream of returning home. The book concludes that violent conflicts emerge because of a violation of human rights and denial of access to scarce resources, and Rwanda and Africa as a whole must build institutions that allow popular participation in decision making, transfer of political power from one group or generation to the other, and generally, to address the question of democracy and good governance.

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About the Author

Elijah Dickens Mushemeza

Dr Elijah Dickens Mushemeza is an Associate Professor of Development Studies and Dean, Faculty of Business and Development Studies at Bishop Stuart University, Mbarara. He was previously a Coordinator of MA in International Relations and Diplomatic Studies in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Makerere University. He has taught at Mbarara University of Science and Technology and is an External Examiner at Kampala International University. Mushemeza is a past alternate Executive Committee member of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA). He has published widely in international Journals.

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