Abstract

This paper examines the uses and limitations of victim and perpetrator testimony in genocide studies by comparing Loung Ung’s First They Killed My Father and Scott Straus and Robert Lyons’s Intimate Enemy: Images and Voices of the Rwandan Genocide. Through Ung’s first-person account of surviving the Cambodian Genocide, this paper will reveal how extreme victimization can psychologically transform innocent people into potential perpetrators, illustrating how the cycle of violence can perpetuate itself. However, due to Ung’s childlike perspective, her ability to provide the broader political and ideological context behind the genocide is majorly restricted. Conversely, Straus and Lyons’s interviews with low-level perpetrators of the Rwandan Genocide challenge the assumption that deep-rooted, inter-ethnic hatred caused the violence. Rather, they suggest coercion and opportunism as the primary motivators. Still, their work lacks insight into the macro-level orchestration of the genocide and is insufficient in explaining the psychological shift of Hutu citizens from peacefully coexisting with Tutsis to committing mass murder. By analyzing both testimonies, this paper argues that, while the stories of low-level actors are invaluable for understanding ground realities and micro-level dynamics, they fall short in explaining the broader structural and psychological catalysts of genocide. Ultimately, this piece illuminates the fluidity of victim-perpetrator identities and argues that the cycle of violence will continue unless there is targeted intervention at critical moments of escalation.