A Legacy of Rescue: Intergenerational Prosocial Collective Action in Rwanda

• In Event: How TIME Matters to Movements

Abstract

In the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Rwanda has become a critical site for examining the transmission of moral action across generations. This paper explores intergenerational prosocial collective action through the lens of families and communities whose members engaged in rescue behaviors during the genocide and whose descendants continue to demonstrate sustained commitments to social responsibility, reconciliation, and community engagement. Drawing on qualitative interviews, archival materials, and secondary scholarship, this study examines how acts of rescue are remembered, narrated, and transformed into enduring moral frameworks that shape collective identity and behavior across generations.
The paper situates rescue not as an isolated moment of individual heroism, but as a socially embedded practice sustained through family narratives, moral socialization, and community norms. It argues that intergenerational transmission of rescue values contributes to a broader culture of prosocial collective action, influencing contemporary engagement in reconciliation initiatives, civic participation, and peacebuilding efforts. By foregrounding collective rather than individual moral action, this research challenges dominant narratives that frame rescue as exceptional and instead emphasizes the relational and structural conditions that enable moral courage.
The analysis engages theories of collective memory, socialization, and prosocial behavior to illuminate how historical trauma and ethical action coexist in post-genocide Rwanda. In doing so, it contributes to scholarship on collective action, transitional justice, and peace and conflict research. The findings suggest that legacies of rescue play a critical role in shaping people’s decisions to rescue as well as post-conflict societies by fostering ethical continuity and collective responsibility, offering important insights for prevention, education, and reconciliation efforts in Rwanda and other contexts emerging from mass violence.

Authors

• Nicole Fox, California State University-Sacramento

• Hollie Nyseth Nzitatira, The Ohio State University