Survivor Agency in the Post-Genocide Memorialization Process in Rwanda

Survivor agency plays a pivotal role in shaping post-genocide memorialization processes, yet it has been largely overlooked in academic discourse. This study highlights how survivors, alongside local communities and organizations, actively contribute to the creation and narrative of memorial sites, particularly at the grassroots level, rather than being passive recipients of state-driven initiatives. Through extensive fieldwork and survivor testimonies, researchers demonstrate that memorialization is a multifaceted process involving state efforts, institutional actors, and grassroots participation. This challenges the dominant narrative that reduces memorialization to questions of state power, enriching the discourse on transitional justice and collective memory.

Wolfe, S., Ndizeye, O., & de Beer, A.-M. (2025). Survivor Agency in the Post-Genocide Memorialization Process in Rwanda. Journal of Genocide Research, 27(2), 131–154. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623528.2025.2488084