Genocide studies
Genocide Studies covers the research of the mass destruction of a specific population. Genocide, created by Raphael Lemkin, began being researched in the mid 1940s.The field did not begin being heavily studied until the 1990s.
1940s
The beginning of genocide research arose around the 1940s when Raphael Lemkin, a Polish-Jewish lawyer, began studying genocide.[1] Known as the "father of the genocide convention," Lemkin made the term genocide and studied it during the World War II.[2][3] An issue that arose for scholars when looking at the term genocide was what it actually meant.[4] In 1944, Lemkin published a book titled Axis Rule, which is where he introduced his idea of genocide. In chapter nine of his book, he defined genocide as being "' the destruction of a nation or ethnic group.'" After his book was published, controversy broke out concerning what genocide is specifically defined as. Many scholars believed that genocide is naturally associated with mass murder, the Holocaust being the first case, but there were also several other scholars who believed genocide has a much broader definition and is not strictly tied to the Holocaust.[4] In Lemkin's book, he says that "'Physical and biological genocide are always preceded by cultural genocide or by an attack on the symbols of the group or violent interference of cultural activities.'"[5] The conclusion made is that Lemkin defines genocide as the annihlation of a group's culture even if the group themselves are not completely destroyed.[6]
1990s
Starting off as a side field to the Holocaust studies, a few scholars around the period continued Lemkins genocide research, and in the 1900s, the field saw a tremendous growth in academic journals such as the Journal of Genocide Research, Genocide Studies and Prevention, and Zeitschcrif fur Genozidforshung, which is a German academic journal. The major reason for this increase in research can be traced back to the Rwandan genocide in the 1990s. This event showed Western scholars how prevalent genocide was.[7]
Gender
The study of genocide connected to gender has not been around that long and is still considered a side to genocide research in general. This small field was ignited after the genocides of Bosnia-Herzegonia and Rwanda took place. During these two events, the perpetrators devise a plan to rape the women and sexually the men of the group.[8] Feminist scholars also to study the differences between males and females during genocide by studying the lives of women survivors during the Holocaust.[9]
References
- ^ Bloxham, Moses, Donald, Dirk A. (2010). The Oxford Handbook of Genocide Studies. New York: Oxford University Press Inc. pp. pp. 2, 22. ISBN 978-0-19-923211-6.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Bloxham, Moses, Donald, Dirk, A. (2010). The Oxford Handbook of Genocide Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. pp. pp. 21. ISBN 978-0-19-923211-6.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Bloxham, Moses, Donald, Dirk A. (2010). The Oxford Handbook of Genocide Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. pp. pp. 2, 19. ISBN 978-0-19-923211-6.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Bloxham, Moses, Donald, Dirk A. (2010). The Oxford Handbook of Genocide Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. pp. 32–33. ISBN 978-0-19-923211-6.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Bloxham, Moses, Donald, Dirk A. (2010). The Oxford Handbook of Genocide Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-19-923211-6.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Bloxham, Moses, Donald, Dirk A. (2010). The Oxford Handbook of Genocide Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-19-923211-6.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Bloxham, Moses, Donald, Dirk A. (2010). The Oxford Handbook of Genocide Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. pp. pp. 2. ISBN 978-0-19-923211-6.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Bloxham, Moses, Donald, Dirk, A. (2010). The Oxford Handbook of Genocide Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-19-923211-6.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Bloxham, Moses, Bloxham, Dirk, A. (2010). The Oxford Handbook of Genocide Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-19-923211-6.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)