Social navigation among Rwandan army deserters in South Africa
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Date
2022
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Western Cape
Abstract
In this thesis, I explore the post military lives of Rwandan army deserters who served in,
deserted from the post-conflict Rwandan Defence Force (RDF), and went into self-imposed
exile. I sought to understand the transition from military to post military life in a context of
exile. I argue that being a Rwandan army deserter in self-imposed exile conjures a complex
form of post military life and being �on the run� is the best way to navigate Rwandan state
surveillance in South Africa. An ethnography conducted in Cape Town and Johannesburg over
a period of eighteen months revealed that the military to post military transition of Rwandan
army deserters is complicated because these former soldiers believe that they are being �hunted�
by their government.
Description
Philosophiae Doctor - PhD
Keywords
Military, Exile, Rwandan Defence Force (RDF), Army deserters, Anthropology