Consequences of Rescue During Genocide

• In Event: 1266 - Collective Behavior and Social Movements

Abstract

Some individuals risk their lives to save others during genocide. These people are frequently heralded as heroes, with popular culture valorizing them and scholars attempting to understand why they rescued when so many others did not. However, no studies have examined the long-term effects of rescuing. This article consequently seeks to assess the long-term social and economic consequences of participation in rescue efforts during genocide. Relying upon 22 in-depth interviews with Rwandans who rescued during the 1994 genocide and theorizing rescue as collective action, we illustrate that those who participate in rescue efforts face numerous economic and social consequences. Interviewees cite several economic hardships—ranging from the economic toll of adopting those they rescued to the loss of livestock via attacks on their families—but also highlight the positive economic impact of gifts they received for their actions. Social consequences were likewise prevalent. Although numerous respondents note affirmative social recognition stemming from their actions, many view rescue as marginalizing, with co-ethnics shunning them and members of the targeted group fearing them due to their association with those who committed violence. We theorize these and other consequences in light of scholarship on the consequences of engaging in collective action and suggest that reconciliation programs after genocide must consider the long-term effects of rescue behavior.

Authors

• Hollie Nyseth Brehm, Ohio State University

• Courtney DeRoche, Ohio State University

• Nicole Fox, University of New Hampshire