Where Are the Mimics When Passing Seems Easy?

Abstract

Abstract This chapter looks at defensive mimicry, or rather the relative absence of it during the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Given the high stakes for the victim population and the cultural proximity between the two ethnic groups, one would reasonably expect many Tutsis to seek to avoid harm by pretending to be Hutus, but this does not seem to have been the case. A rich body of survival testimonies suggests that Tutsis sought self-preservation through flight, hiding, bribery, friendship cultivation, and other tactics, but not through mimicry, except in a small number of cases. The chapter explains why this was the case and musters quantitative evidence and theoretical arguments to suggest that this counter-intuitive pattern likely extends to other high-intensity civil war situations outside Rwanda.