The Tutsi are Afraid we will Discover their Secrets’—On Secrecy and Sovereign Power in Burundi

Bibliographic Data

ID9744812
AuthorsTurner (0000-0002-5521-8141, corresponding author), Simon Turner (0000-0002-1801-8351), Simon P Turner (0000-0001-9198-9448)
Year2005
Volume11
Issue1
Pages37-54
Publication date2005-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Identities (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1350-4630 • E-ISSN: 1363-0296
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13504630500100571
OpenAlexW2082246389
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited27

By exploring the links between the notion of public secrets and popular imaginaries of sovereign power in Burundi, this article demonstrates the shortcomings of the pervasive Foucauldian perception of power as mere relations. Through conspiracy theories about the secret machinations of power, people in Burundi attempt to make sense of domination and sovereignty and to locate the evasive kernel of power. They try to pinpoint the sovereign, assuming that he is hiding behind the scenes, pulling the strings of ‘true power’. While conspiracy theories and rumours attempt to reveal the secret, they also reconfirm its existence and hence strengthen sovereign power which depends not only on the spectacle but also on the assumption that it has a hidden supplement. In this manner, secrecy—located at the summit of forces—becomes the irreducible element of political ontology. The article also explores the relationship between secrecy and ethnicity. It argues that the very ambiguous relationship of ethnic identities in Burundi—allowing friendship and intermarriage on the one hand while leading to ethnocide on the other—is expressed through the lens of secrecy. The perception of hiding true identities leads to conspiracy theories that search for the other's hidden agendas. This in turn means that nobody dares expose his or her true identity for fear of what ‘the other’ might do

Aesthetics · Identity (music · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Secrecy · Sociology · Sovereignty · African cultural and philosophical studies · Global Security and Public Health · Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics · Law · Philosophy

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