ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book. The book begins by outlining some conceptual, definitional and normative problems to do with the identification of genocide and colonialism and their interrelations. Next, it presents the central historical and theoretical framework within which the substantive analysis will be situated; that of 'entanglement'. In doing so, the book distinguishes modernity from the associated concepts of the 'modern social imaginary', 'modern society' and 'modernisation'. The book further explores the precolonial histories of the monarchical states of Burundi and Rwanda, situates them within the wider Great Lakes region and outlines some commonalities in their cultural and institutional development. It also examines the transitions to independence of Burundi and Rwanda during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The book concludes briefly with some more speculative reflections on some recent developments, in the Great Lakes region and beyond.
