As a senior political science major with minors in both philosophy and religious studies, Jacqueline Lewis has a passion for international affairs, especially in locations experiencing political and social unrest. Actively involved in STAND, the anti-genocide group at the University of New Hampshire, she has a particular interest in genocide prevention and resolution. These interests led her to Rwanda in the summer of 2009, funded by a grant from UNH’s International Research Opportunities Program. A main reason for her research and article for Inquiry is to show people that Rwanda “is not a country of killers,” as many might believe. Following graduation, she hopes to go to Washington, DC for an internship in international affairs and conflict prevention or join the Peace Corps before going on to graduate school. In the future, she plans on staying involved in research and political activism.
Alynna J. Lyon is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and has been with the University of New Hampshire for the past six years. She has mentored numerous students, both for individual research projects and through her role as a faculty advisor for the UNH Model United Nations. She has chaired the Ethnicity, Nationalism and Migration section of the International Studies Association and been vice-chair of the Human Rights section. Her research work focuses on international relations, peacekeeping, and conflict resolution, making her an ideal mentor for Jacqueline Lewis. Dr. Lyon especially appreciated learning about post-genocidal politics in Rwanda during the course of Jacqueline’s project.
Professor Paul Rutayisire, Jacqueline’s foreign mentor for her IROP research, is Director of the Center for Conflict Management at the National University of Rwanda, located in Butare-Huye. He teaches and does research in the history of Rwanda and East Africa, the history of the Catholic Church in Rwanda, genocide against Tutsi, and post-genocide reconstruction in Rwanda. He helped Jacqueline plan and carry out her field research by identifying information resources, discussing her questions, and recommending her to key people and offices. Professor Rutayisire, having been a mentor before, is concerned that young researchers may be “prisoners” of theories they read in their home countries, which in most cases are put forth by people with no direct knowledge of the local context. These theories can then distort what they find in their field, on-site research.
Read Jacqueline Lewis’ research article Mass Graves and a Thousand Hills: University Student Perspectives on the Gacaca Courts in Post-Genocide Rwanda >>
