Politics, Religion and Power in the Great Lakes Region covers the political, religious and power relations in the contemporary Great Lakes States: Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Tanzania, Kenya and the Sudan. The work is important because of the nexus between these countries' shared present and past - their political, socio-economic, cultural and historical aspirations. In terms of regional cooperation, they are the countries, save for the DRC and the Sudan, which form the current East African Community (EAC).
The book reflects on the complex dynamics and strategies of the ensuing power struggle, bringing forth a unique set of fascinating revelations of patterns of primitive capital accumulation, resistance, human rights violations and the political compromises between traditional enemies when confronted by a common (foreign) enemy. A critical analysis of the political distortion the region suffered brings to light the relevance of these divisive tools on the current trends in the African countries, drawing inferences from the African Great Lakes Region (GLR).
The study highlights how the conflicts were finally resolved to avert a serious war, thus bringing about new reforms. This history is instructive to the contemporary reader because of the frequent skirmishes caused by ethnic and religious differences, political and territorial conflicts as well as resource and leadership disputes in the GLR.
Murindwa-Rutanga is a professor of Political Science at Makerere University. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Makerere University, and a Master of Art Degree in the same discipline from the same University. He has a one-year postgraduate certificate in Research Training methods from the prestigious centre for studies in Social Science, Calcutta and a degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Political Science from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India. He is a former Head of the Political Science Department, Makerere University and he is serving as external examiner for different universities. He has authored numerous articles and published widely locally, regionally and internationally. He co-edited three volumes of Confronting Twenty-First Century Challenges. His fields of specialisation include politics, labour and social movements, as well as agrarian, gender, subaltern, religious and cultural studies.
ISBN: 978 286978 492 5
CODESRIA 2011
Out Of Stock
Revendiquer sa culture, exiger son droit à la diversité culturelle ou procla-mer son appartenance à un groupe de croyants et s’emparer du fanion de cette croyance pour perpétrer des actions dès lors qualifiées de « saintes », pour terroriser ses semblables en leur imposant sa vision des choses et sa loi, telles sont, à n’en pas douter, deux des caractéristiques les plus préoccupantes de l’entrée de nos sociétés dans ce vingt-et-unième siècle qui commence. C’est pourquoi les textes réunis ici ont été jugés aptes, à ouvrir une réflexion sérieuse et méthodique sur la religion et la culture en Afrique au seuil du 21ème siècle.
Les contributions réunies dans ce volume s’ouvrent par une interrogation et, plutôt que de se fermer, elles se terminent par une ouverture sur des horizons de recherche. Il y a là de quoi ouvrir et alimenter les enquêtes que seuls ou en groupes structurés les spécialistes des sciences de l’homme sont invités à imaginer et conduire sur la religion et la culture de l’Afrique d’aujourd’hui.
Claiming its culture, demanding its right to cultural diversity, or proclaiming its membership of a group of believers and taking possession of the flag of that belief in order to perpetrate actions that are then called "holy", to terrorize its fellows by imposing on them His vision of things and his law, are undoubtedly two of the most worrying features of the entry of our societies in the twenty-first century. For this reason, the texts gathered here have been deemed fit, to open a serious and methodical reflection on religion and culture in Africa at the threshold of the 21st century.
Issiaka-P. Latoundji Lalèyê, docteur en philosophie et docteur d’Etat ès lettres et sciences humaines, enseigne depuis 1970 la philosophie, l’épistémologie et la socio-anthropologie du développement. Ses recherches ont été consacrées à la connaissance de la mentalité. Il a co-édité avec Jean Delumeau (1993), avec Julien Ries (1989 et 2009), avec Mathieu Boisvert (2000) ainsi qu’avec H. Panhuys, T. Verhelst et H. Zaoual (1996). Il a publié plus d’une centaine d’articles et récemment 20 Questions sur la philosophie africaine (2e édition en 2010) et est l’auteur de : Protéger et promouvoir la diversité culturelle au Maghreb et en Afrique de l’Ouest francophone (2010) de l’ISESCO.
ISBN: 978 286978 610 3
CODESRIA 2015