Film and the Construction of Ethnic Identity and National Difference: A Comparative Analysis of Hotel Rwanda, Shooting Dogs and Sometimes in April

https://doi.org/10.58256/njhs.v3i4.1

Authors

  • Florence Nyarenchi Department of Linguistics, Languages and Literature Kisii University, Kenya
  • George Obara Nyandoro Department of Linguistics, Languages and Literature Kisii University, Kenya
  • Evans Mecha Department of Linguistics, Languages and Literature Kisii University, Kenya

Keywords:

film

Abstract

This paper explains the construction of ethnic and national difference using physical traits and the national identity card in selected films. It argues that identity is a fluid construct that is manipulated for different ends. This study was guided by tenets of the theory of nationalism: primordialism; instrumentalism and constructivism by Ernest Gellner (1964) and structuralist film theory by Leo Kuleshov (1920).The study arrived at the following findings: Through primordialism, the study found out that the Hutu construct their nation using  physical traits and the national identity card. Nevertheless, the study concluded that identity is a fluid construct that keeps refashioning in different contexts as seen in the border crossings in the films where Hutu characters cross their ethnic borders and protect the Tutsi during the genocide.

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Published

2019-10-22

How to Cite

Nyarenchi, F. ., Obara Nyandoro, G. ., & Mecha, E. . (2019). Film and the Construction of Ethnic Identity and National Difference: A Comparative Analysis of Hotel Rwanda, Shooting Dogs and Sometimes in April. Nairobi Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(4), 4-27. https://doi.org/10.58256/njhs.v3i4.1

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 4 (2019)

Section

Articles
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