ABSTRACT
This chapter applies the social movement theory of contentious politics to examine how communities mobilized in the Rwandan genocide. The study uses process tracing to analyze events beginning with the assassination of the president on April 6, 1994 through to the onset of genocide. There are two communities of focus in the micro-comparative case study: Taba and Nyakizu. By analyzing mechanisms of competition for power, framing, and diffusion, the chapter finds that the political affiliation of the burgomaster (local mayor) explains the temporal variation in mobilization patterns. The first part of the study examines relevant literature on genocide and social movement before moving to a case-specific examination of theory. It then describes the methodologies used before moving on to the case study itself. The conclusion includes a discussion of relevant policy implications.
