Burundi recently emerged from twelve years of civil war. In this book, ordinary Burundians, farmers, artisans, traders, mothers, soldiers and students talk about the past and the future, war and peace, their hopes for a better life and their relationships with each other and the state. Young men, in particular, often seen as the cause of violence, talk about the difficulties of living up to standards of masculinity in an impoverished and war-torn society. Weaving a rich tapestry, Peter Uvin pitches the ideas and aspirations of people on the ground against the assumptions often made by the international development and peace-building agencies.  This groundbreaking book on conflict and society in Africa will have profound repercussions for development across the world.

 

About the Author(s)

Peter Uvin

Peter Uvin is the Henry J. Leir Professor of International Humanitarian Studies and Academic Dean at the Fletcher School, Tufts University.

Table of Contents

Foreword * Introduction * Part 1: Background * A Brief Political History of Burundi * Methodology & Location * Part 2: The View from Below * Peace and War as Read in Burundi * 'If I Were in Charge Here':  Burundians on Respect, Corruption and the State * Hard Work and Prostitution:  The Capitalist Ethos in Crisis * 'I Want to Marry a Dynamic Girl':  Changing Gender Expectations in Burundi * Justice, Silence and Social Capital * Conclusion * Notes * Bibliography * Index