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Research with people in highly politicized research settings illuminates the gap between the images that most African governments strive to represent and the sociopolitical realities of everyday life. This article discusses the opportunities and challenges of doing research in postgenocide Rwanda and is a useful resource for researchers contemplating their own projects under such conditions, whether in Rwanda or elsewhere. It discusses the importance of creating personal relationships and meeting people on their terms, as well as such topics as the identification of the research site, building rapport and trust with respondents, safeguarding anonymity and confidentiality, and working with local research assistants and partners.

LAW AND HUMAN RIGHTS Luc Huyse and Mark Salter, eds. Traditional Justice and Reconciliation after Violent Conflict: Learning from African Experiences. Stockholm: International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, 2008. xiv + 203 pp. List of Acronyms and Abbreviations. Notes. References. Tables. $19.95. Paper. The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) has put together a useful book on the role of local justice mechanisms on reconciliation processes in Africa. Traditional Justice and Reconciliation after Violent Conflict is an important addition to the literature on transitional justice. Each of the substantive chapters analyzes the role of traditional justice mechanisms in dealing with the legacy of mass political violence in five African countries. Four of the chapters (on Burundi, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and Uganda) were written by African authors who provide a nuanced examination of local traditional justice mechanisms. This insider information has been sorely lacking in the academic and policy literatures. The chapter on Rwanda were written by a Belgian scholar (apparently because the Rwandan contributors pulled out). The editors, Luc Huyse and Mark Salter, wrote the introduction and conclusion, respectively. This book deserves to be read by academics, practitioners, policymakers, graduate students, and journalists, although academics will be disappointed by the lack of theoretical insight in the introduction and conclusion. Indeed, Huyse 's superficial treatment of the state of the field (as of 2008) is exceedingly weak. Anyone familiar with the rapidly growing and conceptually contested texts at the core of the literature on transitional justice will recognize that the discussion of the main debates (justice versus impunity) was written for the uninitiated. Neither Huyse nor Salter addresses the conceptual boundaries of what they mean by reconciliation, and the volume would have benefited from a working definition; nor do they consider what acts or words constitute an instance of reconciliation between survivors and perpetrators. Salter does not draw on the analytical framework set out in Huyse 's introduction; instead, he summarizes the substantive chapters to provide a shopping list of recommendations clearly intended for practitioners. But readers are cautioned not to avoid picking up the volume on the basis of this criticism. Indeed, the volume is in line with IDEA's mission statement: to provide general knowledge to practitioners and donors seeking to grant funding to governments that are trying to promote the rule of law and democracy after violent conflict. In addition, the individual chapters are among the few published pieces of research that bring in a local perspective on how traditional justice mechanisms are understood within the sociopolitical, religious, and cultural contexts in which they operate. …