Abstract
Lee Ann Fujii (3 January 1962 - 2 March 2018) was an American political scientist, author, and professor. Born to American parents of Japanese descent, who had met when they were interned during World War II, her family’s history gave her first-hand experiences in the world of political violence, and her research on the subject of violence, race, and ethnicity are held in high esteem within the academic community. Fujii graduated from Reed College in Portland, Oregon with a BA in Music, and then worked in the acting and tech industry in San Fransisco before pursuing her master's degree.[1] She graduated with an MA in International Relations from San Fransisco State University in 2001, with a thesis on the Rwandan Genocide.
Fuji studied complex, multi-layered cases of political violence, especially the genocide in Rwanda. She wrote articles about the diffusion of a genodical norm [2] as well as the power of local ties for political participation. [3] Her first published book analyzed why some people participated in mass killings and others did not. [4] Her careful ethnographic interpretive approach provide examples for how political scientists can interpret testimonies of war and violence [5] and reflect upon research ethics while conducting fieldwork [6]
Before her sudden passing, Fujii was busy working on another book, Show Time: The Logic and Power of Violent Display, which analyzes violent actors in Bosnia, Rwanda, and the United States and how their actions aren’t just for personal gain or satisfaction, but done to influence individuals and the larger community.
The way Fujii thought of violence, and the way she wrote about it in Killing Neighbors and Show Time alludes back to her career as an actor. She relates acts of violence to that of a performance with staging and theatrics; she understood that groups who committed these acts would do so publicly to send a message to the ruling powers.
References
- ^ Reed College. 2018. “Lee Ann Fujii ’84.” Reed Magazine, 2018. https://www.reed.edu/reed-magazine/in-memoriam/obituaries/2018/lee-ann-fujii-84.html.
- ^ Fujii, Lee Ann. 2004. “Transforming the Moral Landscape: The Diffusion of a Genocidal Norm in Rwanda.” Journal of Genocide Research 6 (1): 99–114. https://doi.org/10.1080/1462352042000194737.
- ^ Fujii, Lee Ann. 2008. “The Power of Local Ties: Popular Participation in the Rwandan Genocide.” Security Studies 17 (3): 568–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/09636410802319578.
- ^ Fujii, Lee Ann. 2009. Killing Neighbors: Webs of Violence in Rwanda. 1st ed. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt7z7s5.
- ^ Fujii, Lee Ann. 2010. “Shades of Truth and Lies: Interpreting Testimonies of War and Violence.” Journal of Peace Research 47 (2): 231–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022343309353097.
- ^ Fujii, Lee Ann. 2012. “Research Ethics 101: Dilemmas and Responsibilities.” PS, Political Science & Politics 45 (4): 717–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1049096512000819