Wonder

Research Outline

Prepared for Thomas C. | Delivered August 18, 2020

List of Research Done on Rwanda and East Africa

Goals

To prepare a list of primary works, especially published books and archaeological studies, written about East Africa, with particular focus on Rwanda, going back to prehistory. The list should help to learn about East Africa over the years from multiple perspectives of the Rwandans, colonizers, archaeologists, and historians along with the geography/geology of the region. It should be focused on all periods of history, including the genocide and post-genocide periods and periods not well-known, especially from prehistory to colonization.

Early Findings

‘A History of East Africa’, written by Kenneth Ingham, provides an account of the region from the first century A.D. up to the period of constitutional development and the emergence of African nationalism.
The book also has an extensive bibliography that serves as an important research aid.
The book titled ‘Religion and Politics in East Africa: The Period since Independence’, authored by Holger Bernt Hansen and Michael Twaddle, provides an account of the attempts undertaken by governments to manage religious affairs in both Muslim and Christian areas of East Africa.
Another book titled ‘Being Maasai: Ethnicity & Identity in East Africa’, authored by Thomas Spear and Richard Waller, provides an overview of Maasai history in East Africa. The Maasai people are considered as the most famous ethnic group in Africa.
‘The Historical Dictionary of Rwanda’, authored by Learthen Dorsey, provides a survey of political, social, and economic events in Rwanda from its ancient past up to March 1993.
A journal article, titled ‘Treacherous Waters: The Politics of History and the Politics of Genocide in Rwanda and Burundi’, consists of comprehensive reviews done by Villia Jefremovas of several books on Rwandan genocide, including ‘Rwanda: Death, Despair and Defiance’ by African Rights; and ‘The Rwanda Crisis: History of a Genocide’ by Gérard Prunier.
On the geography of the region, one can consult the book titled: ‘Geography of East Africa’. It is authored by J. M. Pritchard who also wrote the book titled: ‘The Practical Geography for Africa’.
A research article, titled ‘British Colonialism in East-Africa During the Nineteenth Century’, provides a useful list of further readings on the subject for interested researchers.