Genocide Matters

Joyce Apsel is a faculty member in the Liberal Studies Program at New York University and was a recipient of the 2009 NYU Distinguished Teaching Award. She was President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars (2001-03) and is currently President of the Institute for the Study of Genocide. She is Director of RightsWorks International, a human rights and genocide educational initiative. Ernesto Verdeja is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and Peace Studies in the Department of Political Science and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame. Verdeja is on the boards of the Institute for the Study of Genocide and the International Association of Genocide Scholars.

In Genocide Matters, Apsel and Verdeja bring together a range of important authors and themes, including the perspectives of the next generation of genocide scholars. This is an important volume to understanding the field. An indispensable book.Daniel Feierstein, Director of the Center for the Study of Genocide Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero, ArgentinaThis is an excellent volume by leading scholars discussing the current state of comparative genocide studies. Recommended for scholars and advanced students in the field. Rhoda E. Howard-Hassmann, Canada Research Chair in International Human Rights, Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada.The burgeoning field of genocide studies brings together disciplines in the social sciences and humanities, united in their fascination with the causes and consequences of mass atrocity and in their determination to put it to an end. Leading thinkers in the field wrestle with the contemporary debates about prevention and intervention in this useful, compact volume edited by two of the field’s eminent scholars.William Schabas, Professor of international law, Middlesex University, UK.Apsel and Verdeja have assembled an impressive lineup of scholars, who ask pointed questions and attempt comprehensive answers. An engaging commentary on the field of studies in a state of flux.Anton Weiss-Wendt, Center for the Study of the Holocaust and Religious Minorities, Oslo, Norway.Wide-ranging in scope, conceptually innovative, and boldly transgressing disciplinary boundaries, this outstanding collection opens up new perspectives on how to approach the terrifying phenomena subsumed under the rubric of genocide. This landmark contribution is a tribute to the discernment of the editors and the cutting-edge scholarship of the contributors. Few other works offer such a wide range of conceptual and theoretical breakthroughs in the field of comparative genocide.Rene Lemarchand, Emeritus Professor of Political Science, University of Florida, USA.

• Foreword. Helen Fein 1. Introduction: Genocide Matters. Ongoing Issues and Emerging Perspectives Joyce Apsel and Ernesto Verdeja 2. Questioning Boundaries: What’s Old and What’s New in Comparative Genocide Theory Maureen Hiebert 3. Critical Genocide Studies Alex Hinton 4. Holocaust Studies and Genocide Studies: Past, Present and Future Donald Bloxham 5. Genocide and the Politics of Rape: Historical and Psychological Perspectives Roger W. Smith 6. Genocide by Attrition: Silent and Efficient Sheri P. Rosenberg and Everita Silina 7. Research and Teaching About Genocide: History, Challenges and New Directions Joyce Apsel 8. Humanitarian Military Intervention After the Responsibility to Protect: Obstacles and Prospects Paul D. Williams 9. Transitional Justice and Genocide Ernesto Verdeja