A Theoretical Sandbox Application: Testing the Explanatory Power of the Metaphysical Peace Theory of Spiritual-Structural Transformation MPT-SST in Post Genocide Kigali, Rwanda.

Description This registration formalizes a non empirical theoretical sandbox study applying the Metaphysical Peace Theory of Spiritual-Structural Transformation MPT-SST to post genocide Kigali, Rwanda. The purpose is to assess whether MPT-SST can coherently explain the emergence, maintenance and potential fragility of peace in a society recovering from mass atrocity through enforced unity, narrative regulation and institutional reconciliation mechanisms. The study documents, in advance of any empirical testing, the full theoretical application of MPT-SST to Rwanda’s post genocide peace architecture. It establishes a baseline for future falsification by specifying conditions under which the theory’s claims regarding consciousness coherence and sustainable peace would be supported, challenged or refuted. The work involves no new data collection, no human subjects research and no interventions. It is a structured exercise in comparative theoretical analysis using existing scholarly literature, policy documents and historical accounts. Research Questions RQ1. How does MPT-SST explain the restoration of social order and relative stability in post genocide Kigali beyond conventional institutional or coercive explanations? RQ2. Does Rwanda’s post genocide peace reflect genuine metaphysical coherence or a structurally enforced equilibrium? RQ3. Under what conditions would MPT-SST predict fragility or resilience in a post atrocity peace system governed by narrative unity? RQ4. How does MPT-SST compare with dominant transitional justice and liberal peacebuilding frameworks in explaining Rwanda’s experience? Study Design This is a theoretical and analytical study based on existing literature. Type. Comparative theoretical analysis and conceptual mapping. Data sources. Synthesis of existing secondary sources including peer reviewed scholarly literature on Rwanda, policy analyses, historical accounts, reports from NGOs and international organizations and documentation on gacaca courts and national unity policies. Comparative frameworks. The explanatory narrative generated by MPT-SST will be compared with explanations from liberal peacebuilding, transitional and restorative justice frameworks, social cohesion theories and the literature on post conflict governance and memory politics. Constructs This study employs theoretical constructs rather than measured variables. For analytical clarity, these constructs are interpreted through documented patterns in the literature. Metaphysical coherence. Inferred from patterns of narrative alignment, internalized unity and the congruence between state led reconciliation discourse and community level meaning making. Relational resonance. Inferred from documented presence or absence of empathy, trust and mutual recognition between identity groups in post genocide social interactions and institutions. Structural peace durability. Interpreted through documented longevity, social resilience and adaptability of the post genocide peace system in the face of political or economic stress. Analysis Plan The analysis proceeds in three stages. First, context synthesis through systematic review of the literature to establish a consolidated account of Rwanda’s post genocide reconciliation architecture, its stated objectives, institutional mechanisms and major scholarly critiques. Second, theory application through structured interpretation of the case using the MPT-SST framework, tracing proposed relationships between consciousness reordering, relational fields and the sustainability of state coordinated peace structures. Third, comparative evaluation by contrasting the MPT-SST explanation with alternative frameworks and assessing whether MPT-SST accounts for dimensions such as depth of social healing, role of enforced narrative and qualitative character of peace that other models under address. Additional Statements Falsifiability statement. This theoretical application would be challenged if Rwanda’s post genocide stability can be fully explained by institutional discipline or coercion without reference to relational or consciousness level transformation, if evidence consistently indicates that enforced unity suppresses rather than reorganizes relational coherence or if peace persists long term despite clear and widespread metaphysical incoherence and relational dissonance. Relation to prior registration. This sandbox explicitly builds upon and references the preregistered Adamawa farmer herder conflict sandbox DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/B5FRX. It forms part of a progressive theoretical stress testing sequence for MPT-SST, extending the framework from indigenous relational conflict dynamics to a post atrocity state coordinated reconciliation context. Transparency note. This registration is intended to prevent post hoc theorizing, clearly separate theory structuring from future empirical validation and commit the proposed theoretical explanations to public scholarly scrutiny.