Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors in Rescuer Behavior

Dr. J. E.路易斯维尔大学的伯内特将对1994年卢旺达种族灭绝期间的救援者行为、社区对暴力的抵制以及救援者的动机进行研究。这项研究的中心问题是：在社区暴力中，一些人如何以及为什么为了拯救他人而将自己置于巨大的伤害风险之中？该研究将比较该国不同种族和宗教群体之间的救援行为，以确定内在因素（如性格，身份，宗教信仰和宗教习俗）和外在因素（如地理位置，与受害者的接近程度，机会和社区结构），使救援行为成为可能。研究人员将调查社会网络特征对抵抗种族灭绝的潜在影响，并试图确定导致某些地区社区抵抗种族灭绝的信仰，实践，领导或社区结构的各个方面。该项目将利用社会科学研究方法，收集卢旺达8个社区250多名卢旺达人的生活史叙述、关键线人访谈、关于种族灭绝的证词和社交网络数据。一系列的行动者，包括公认的救援人员，旁观者，肇事者，和受害者将被采访。这项研究将有助于科学地了解救援人员的行为，抵抗社区暴力，以及宗教对这些行为的影响。它还将协助决策者制定干预措施，以加强对社区暴力的抵制。该项目将促进对卢旺达宗教社区的基本了解以及卢旺达地方社会运动与全球宗教社区之间的联系。最后，这项研究可以为关于宗教和暴力的国家和国际政策辩论提供及时的贡献。

Dr. Jennie E. Burnet of the University of Louisville will undertake research on rescuer behavior, community-level resistance to violence, and rescuer motivation during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The study's central question is: how and why do some people put themselves at great risk of harm in order to rescue others during communal violence? The study will compare rescuer behavior among different ethnic and religious groups in that country to identify the intrinsic factors (such as character, identity, religious belief, and religious practice) and extrinsic factors (such as geography, proximity to victims, opportunity, and community structure) that make rescuer behavior possible. The researchers will investigate the potential impact of social network characteristics on resistance to genocide and will attempt to identify aspects of faith, practice, leadership, or community structure that led to community-level resistance to genocide in certain locales. Using social science research methods, the project will gather life history narratives, key informant interviews, testimony about the genocide, and social network data from more than 250 Rwandans in eight communities in Rwanda. A range of actors, including publicly recognized rescuers, bystanders, perpetrators, and victims will be interviewed.This research will contribute to the scientific understanding of rescuer behavior, resistance to communal violence, and the impact of religion on these behaviors. It will also assist policymakers in developing interventions to improve resistance to communal violence. The project will contribute to basic understanding of the Rwandan religious communities and the connections between Rwandan local social movements and global religious communities. Finally, this study can offer a timely contribution to national and international policy debates about religion and violence.