Intergroup contact caused by institutional change: an exploration of the link between deregulation in Rwanda's coffee sector and attitudes towards reconciliation

Jutta Mathilde Tobias

doi:10.7273/000005828

An exploratory field survey was conducted among a sample of rural Rwandan coffee farmers who have been experiencing new commercial opportunities and associations since the deregulation of Rwanda's coffee industry in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide. Participants were interviewed in confidential settings on their attitudes towards reconciliation and on other social and economic factors that may have changed since the economic liberalisation of coffee in Rwanda's recent history.; Results from correlational analyses suggest that membership in a coffee cooperative, being associated with a particular coffee washing station comparatively longer, and economic as well as general life satisfaction are significant correlates of positive attitudes towards reconciliation among participants, beyond a clear indication that frequent, deep, and pleasant contact with members from the other ethnic group in Rwanda is strongly linked to an attitude of reconciliation.; These observations were discernible independent of ethnicity of particular participants, or of the specific ethnic mix of community members in a given survey location, indicating that forgiveness and reconciliation are equally salient for all Rwandans, and that those individuals who benefit from the coffee sector deregulation economically may also experience positive social change as an ancillary result.; Although the study's sample represents a minority of coffee farmers in Rwanda, i.e. those benefiting from the results of privatisation in Rwanda's coffee sector, and the survey design prohibits generalisations beyond the group examined, the observed correlations match current theories of reconciliation, and extend the small body of field studies in reconciliation research, thus providing a quantitative insight into the potential mediating effect of commercially induced intergroup contact on positive intergroup relations in post-conflict environments with lingering ethnic discord.; Limitations of survey research in post-conflict settings are discussed in conjunction with recommendations for follow-up inquiries on the social factors that may contribute to a reduction in inter-ethnic hostility, even if on the face of it, they may seem utterly unrelated to psychology.

Intergroup contact caused by institutional change: an exploration of the link between deregulation in Rwanda's coffee sector and attitudes towards reconciliation

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