Ethnic Group Conflict Paper

Deonte Jones

PSY/450

July 5, 2012
Professor Eugene Schimmel

Ethnic Group Conflict Paper

Social cognition and social perception can be altered through external forces. As evidenced by the exploits of colonialism in Rwanda, the Hutus and Tutsis, two people from the same region in Africa with shared language and customs became the target of such exaggerated and contrived differences. Accordingly, the colonizers effectively constructed ethnic divides, constructed and reinforced differences in social cognition and social perception through repressive means. Even as they did so for the purpose of colonizing the nation and ultimately the minority the Tutsis, these efforts in cognitive reconstruction inspired tragedy. In fact, it led to unintended nevertheless grave consequences, which extended for decades. The Ethnic group conflict that caused problems was the problem in Rwanda East Africa between the Hutus and the Tutsis. According to Langford (2002), in 1994 the Rwandan genocide took place with more than 800,000 people slaughtered. Over the course of 100 days there were a half of a million people killed which is 20 percent of the country’s population. It was a long hold ethnic competition with the minority Tutsi, who had power and control over the country for centuries and the majority Hutu people who became rebellious in the early 1960’s.
Discuss the concept of conformity and how it relates to your selected ethnic groups According to Langford (2002), define conformity as, “…a form of social influence in which individuals change their attitudes and/or behavior to adhere to a group or social norm”. Some reasons for social conformity might include fear of sanctions from the majority or the need to measure up to the expectations of the majority. In the case of Rwanda social pressures, both the Hutu and the Tutsis religious socio-cultural background show men being dominated and controlling. As previously stated, the Hutus and the Tutsis originate in different geographic regions within Africa. However, these two groups have traditionally enjoyed a complementary division of labor. Living in Rwanda for several centuries, the Hutus and the Tutsis have a shared history, language and culture as (Hotep 2001, Sirak 2007). Traditionally, the Hutus, were farmers living in large groups. They have lived within the Great Lakes region of Central Africa, known as Rwanda since somewhere between 500 and 1000 BC (Hotep 2001). In 1300 AD, the Watusis, also known as the Tutsis, were a Nomadic people. They emigrated from Ethiopia and entered into the Great Lakes Region inhabited by the Hutus (Hotep 2001, Sirak 2007). CNN suggests that the taller, warrior Tutsis, though smaller in number effectively vanquished the native Hutus and arrived at a peaceful arrangement. This agreement stated that the Hutus would continue agricultural production for the Tutsis in exchange for their protection. However, this was not as submissive or as dichotomous as it seems. In fact, it was symbiotic and complementary in nature. As evidenced by the changes that occurred thereafter, the Tutsis adopted the language, culture, beliefs and customs of the Hutus and lived as one people. The groups had many stereotypes, stating that all Tutsis men are tall and have wide noses, all women have long arms. The Hutu’s were perceived as gullible, uneducated and lazy. Accordingly, the Hutus were relegated to the lower positions within the administration and offered obligatory nominal participation within the decision-making processes as receivers
Explain the relationship between social perception and social cognition, and how these concepts apply to your selected ethnic groups. Although the Tutsis had become the target for violence and blame, resource scarcity induced through colonial agricultural reorganization, especially coffee production yielded unexpected and grace consequences. Among them, environmental degradation, the subsequent deforestation and resultant erosion of lands figured in prominently and induced hunger, poverty and starvation. Competition among peoples intensified. Accordingly then, the Hutus who were most affected both as a majority population within Rwanda and as traditional agricultural producers, engaged the tools employed by their previous colonizers. The Hutus and the Tutsi’s stereotypes were not accurate at all, because of the early peace of living the two colonies cross bred which allowed the two tribes become sister tribes. So the stereotypes became inaccurate, both tribes became eliminated from some stereotypes. The prejudice continues because even though the two tribes mated with one another, if the child has more Tutsis features (tall, wide nose), that child were to receive special treatment in school or when pursuing a career. Even in the war the children who resembled the Tutsis more were able to live and join the army, which damaged them psychologically, because the child had to kill their siblings that resembled Hutus. This agreement stated that the Hutus would continue agricultural production for the Tutsis in exchange for their protection, however; this was not as submissive or as dichotomous as it seems. In fact, it was symbiotic and complementary in nature. As evidenced by the changes that occurred thereafter, the Tutsis adopted the language, culture, beliefs and customs of the Hutus and lived as one people

Discuss the social perceptions that will need to be addressed in order to resolve the conflict between your selected ethnic groups Although the fighting between the two has escalated into war, the two did get along peacefully before, Due to the unprecedented sharpness of the dichotomy the Belgians created, they also cultivated the resultant resentment among the Hutus, co-authored the associative Tutsi blame with any discontentment and inspired the riots of 1959, which killed more than 20,000 Tutsis and led to their emigration to neighboring nations. The two could put aside their differences and understand that they both need each other. The Tutsi could share their agriculture with the Hutu to increase their population and their awareness of their agriculture. The two groups could no longer see that each of the groups had been played by the colonists for the colonizers benefit. Had the two groups been able to socially perceive these consequences, the results might well have been different. Devoid of such social cognition, resolve was hard won.

The two groups fought a war that should of not been fought, the colonist used the two groups, in therefore ended with nearly genocide. The two ethnic group’s conflict raged off of being used as pawns, the social perceptions of the groups were outraged. As long as selfish acts of greed continue to exist, more ethnic conflicts will continue to exist.

References
Langford, Peter. "The Rwandan Path to Genocide: The Genesis of the Capacity of the Rwandan Post-colonial State to Organise and Unleash a project of Extermination". Civil Wars Vol. 7 n.3

René Lemarchand, "Rwanda: The State of Research", Scholarly Review, Online Encyclopedia of Mass Violence, Nov 200, referring to Keana and Dienan, Antecedents to Modern Rwanda: The Nyiginya Kingdom (2004), Retrieved September 15, 2010

Shiraev, E. B. & Levy, D. A. (2010). Cross-cultural psychology: Critical thinking and contemporary applications (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn Bacon.

Sirak, R.(2007). A History of Rwanda. Hope Amidst Horrors. Golfworld.