AZG Armenian Daily #015, 31/01/2009
Press Release
LATEST ISSUE OF GENOCIDE STUDIES AND PREVENTION HIGHLIGHTS NEW
DIRECTIONS IN GENOCIDE RESEARCH
As Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal completes
its third year of publication, its latest issue presents some
interesting and influential new directions in the field. The topics
presented include: the insidious role rape plays within a genocidal
context, affecting not only women but entire societies; insight into
the paradox of genocide prevention; a review and critique of
comparative genocide theory; the importance and effects of teaching
genocide; and the role hate speech plays in ethnic violence and
genocide.
"Rape as a Weapon of Genocide" by Alison Ruby Reid-Cunningham, PhD
Candidate, School of Social Welfare, at the University of
California-Berkeley is one of the few scholarly articles on rape in
genocide. This is an extremely timely issue in light of the ongoing
use of rape as a weapon both in the Darfur region of Sudan and in the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Reid-Cunningham examines the cases
of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rwanda, Darfur, and the DRC and argues that the
impact of rape pierces the entire community and is a means of cultural
control. Her thorough analysis moves genocide studies much farther
along the path toward understanding how crimes against women become
"generalized to the whole population as survivors, witnesses,
families, and communities internalize rape as an assault on their
collective consciousness."
Robert Melson, the Cathy Cohen-Lasry Distinguished Professor in the
Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark
University investigates "Churchill in Munich: The Paradox of Genocide
Prevention." The paradox involves the irony that leaders who have gone
to great lengths to prevent catastrophes are not rewarded for their
actions, simply because society only sees the cost spent on
prevention, and there is no proof of their success if the genocide is
adverted.
The third article, "Theorizing Destruction: Reflections on the State
of Comparative Genocide Theory," is by Maureen Hiebert, Assistant
Professor, Law and Society Program, Faculty of Communications and
Culture, at the University of Calgary and an ongoing Faculty member of
the GHRUP. She illustrates that although comparative genocide
theorizing has come a long way in explaining the onset of genocide and
genocidal process, there is still much work to be done. Professor
Hiebert believes that comparative genocide studies’ focus on
definitions of genocide leaves the discipline under-theorized relative
to other disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. In
addition, she argues that the discipline requires more rigorous
testing of the existing theories using comparative methodological
practices. Ultimately she concludes that genocide scholars must find a
way to "bridge the gap between abstract theorizing¦and concrete
policy making."
Henry Maitles, Faculty of Education, University of Strathclyde,
Glasgow, examines the question "’Why are we learning this?’: Does
Studying the Holocaust Encourage Better Citizenship Values?". This
study followed a cohort of 100 students (aged 11-12) who studied the
Holocaust and compared their values one year later both to their
earlier attitudes and to those of their peers who had not studied the
Holocaust. Professor Maitles found that in general, learning about the
Holocaust had a positive effect on students’ attitudes on contemporary
issues, such as racism and discrimination.
Lastly, "Counteracting Hate Speech as a Way of Preventing Genocidal
Violence" by Wibke Timmerman, PhD Candidate, Irish Centre for Human
Rights, at the National University of Ireland suggests that "In order
to successfully prevent genocidal crimes and violence, it is
indispensable to effectively address the problem of systematic
incitement of hatred." Timmerman further suggests that effectively
addressing this problem would require state-organized hate propaganda
to be criminalized under international law. The criminalization of
hate speech sits on a slippery slope with risks to freedom of speech,
and thus this article opens up an important discussion, but falls
short of answering some critical questions in terms of utility in
genocide prevention.
Editor Herb Hirsch, Professor of Government and Public Affairs at
Virginia Commonwealth University, proudly notes in his introduction
some of the groundbreaking topics the journal has covered in its first
three years of publication. He states that the editors are looking
forward to the fourth year of the journal and a continued trend in
presenting new and innovative material.
Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal was
co-founded by the International Association of Genocide Scholars and
the International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (A
Division of the Zoryan Institute). The journal’s mission is to
understand the phenomenon of genocide, create an awareness of it as an
ongoing scourge, and promote the necessity of preventing it, for both
pragmatic and moral reasons. It is the official journal of the
International Association of Genocide Scholars and is published three
times a year by the University of Toronto Press. For more information,
contact the IIGHRS at [email protected] or Tel: 416-250-9807.