Project Details
Projekt
"Ordinary Theology" in the Rwandan Peace and Reconciliation Process
Applicant
Dr. Katharina Maria Peetz
Subject Area
Roman Catholic Theology
Term
from 2015 to 2019
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 286516364
In 1994 Rwanda was devastated by genocide. During three months an estimated 800,000 - 1,000,000 Rwandans were murdered. The Rwandan Genocide is exceptional in regard to other conflicts in Africa because the main cleavage was between ethnic groups of the same religion. The conduct of the Christian Churches during the genocide was highly ambivalent: There were Church members who protected the victims regardless of their ethnic group, risking their own lives. On the other hand clerics, monks, nuns and laypersons were directly involved in the acts of killing and the attitude of the Churches as institutions can only be described as standing on the sidelines. Ever since the genocide the Rwandan government is involved in a systematic process of peace building in which national unity and reconciliation are the main aspects. In this process, the Churches are important partners because they work for peace and reconciliation, but they also need to face their past and their involvement in the genocide. The churches' work for peace and reconciliation is aimed at the survivors of the genocide. Those persons are forced to live close by and therefore need to process their experiences of extreme violence (either as victim or as perpetrator). The problem that this project deals with is whether religious resources, especially the ordinary theology of victims and perpetrators, are a chance of overcoming experiences of extreme violence. Ordinary theology as Jeff Astley defines it includes the theological beliefs of people with no formal theological education. Research in the field of ordinary theology clarifies how academic theological concepts are relevant and meaningful for people. It contributes therefore to the relevance of theology in a constantly changing world. Because Rwanda is an exception among the wide range of violent conflicts in Africa, it is also important to analyze the contribution of the Churches to the peace and reconciliation process. The Churches' contribution will be systematically linked to the ordinary theology of victims and perpetrators. Hence the project will grapple with the thesis of the ambivalence of the sacred. According to R. Scott Appelby the ambivalence of the sacred means the fact that religion has both a potential for promoting violence or for peacemaking. Whether the religious reference to the sacred leads to violence or peacemaking depends on many factors such as the behavior of religious elites and the level of autonomy of religious institutions.
DFG Programme
Research Grants
International Connection
Hungary, Switzerland, USA
