ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an in-depth analysis of social structures using qualitative data obtained from a variety of studies that have been written about both countries. These studies are used to assess a number of alternative measurements of social structures, including indigenous social ranking systems, patron–client systems and informal justice institutions. The decision to focus on kinship groups, patron–client systems and informal institutions of mediation as alternative measures of social structures stems from the suggestion made by Mikael Karlstrom, Rene Lemarchand. In Burundi and Rwanda, the two main types of kinship groupings are lineage and clan. Several of the purges and episodes of intra-group violence that have occurred in Rwanda and Burundi since independence have been based in part on the regional identities of the groups involved. The chapter concludes with a brief summation of the findings obtained from the analyses.
