Globalization, postcolonial theory, and organizational analysis: Lessons from the Rwanda genocide

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is three‐fold: to extend the scope of postcolonial theory to organizational analysis; to extend the scope of organizational analysis to the study of supranational organizations; and to examine the impact of postcolonial organizational thought on the conception and treatment of the Rwandan people.

Design/methodology/approach

Organizational (in)action, both prior to and during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, is subjected to postcolonial organizational analysis.

Findings

It is shown that so‐called global organizational relations are mediated by supranational organizations, such as the United Nations, whose organizational structuring and practices are rooted in imperialist and postcolonial thinking.

Research limitations/implications

It is recognised that the account of events presents an alternative but partial history of events in Rwanda.

Practical implications

The response to genocide in Rwanda by the global community represents a challenge to the promise of globalization, which posits that multinational organizational integration based on mutual interest is achievable.

Originality/value

The paper destablizes the notion of globalization and global cooperation by raising questions about the asymmetrical contexts in which supranational organizations operate.

Citation

Long, B.S. and Mills, A.J. (2008), "Globalization, postcolonial theory, and organizational analysis: Lessons from the Rwanda genocide", Critical Perspectives on International Business, Vol. 4 No. 4, pp. 389-409. https://doi.org/10.1108/17422040810915420