Naomi Weir 20124sometimes strangers despite the pressure, and despite the fact that the punishment for such
behaviour could be instant, brutal death’.
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Importantly, Primordialism argues that such ancient
hatreds would result in ‘all against all’, ‘neighbour against neighbour’ conflict,
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the evidence fromRwanda is therefore clearly in dispute with this theory.The distinct flaws in Primordialism lead to a need for different explanations for ethnic conflict.
Primordialism’s
inadequacies give space to the notion that ethnic conflict is driven by the aims of political leaders. Indeed, Primordialism fails to produce a substantial alternative theory to the notionof elite manipulation.
Rwanda and Instrumentalism