Perpetrators

Antonius C.G.M. Robben is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. He is the author of Argentina Betrayed: Memory, Mourning, and Accountability (2018) and Political Violence and Trauma in Argentina (2005).Alexander Laban Hinton is Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at Rutgers University and UNESCO Chair in Genocide Prevention. He is the recipient of the American Anthropological Association's 2022 Anthropology in Media Award for his work raising awareness of genocide and human rights. He is the author of The Justice Facade: Trials of Transition in Cambodia (2018) and Man or Monster? The Trial of a Khmer Rouge Torturer (2016).

"In Robben and Hinton's 'encounter with humanity's dark side' the perpetrator researcher and the evildoer become inextricably intertwined. Researchers' intimate fieldwork contact with perpetrators of mass atrocity sullies them, they feel dirty. And, yet, it reveals complex and contradictory human beings that unsettle facile assumptions about their monstrosity. How do researchers incorporate cognitive and affective empathy to understand the 'priming' that make atrocities possible, while condemning those acts? Perpetrators establishes the craft for doing so."—Leigh Payne, Oxford University "Written as a sustained conversation between two foundational figures in the field of perpetrator studies, this book offers a rich exploration of the individuals who operate the machinery of mass murder. The authors combine profound insights into universal phenomena, while demonstrating the importance of understanding local specificities and moral economies. This unsettling book charts a future research agenda for those who seek to understand the disturbing, unholy mixture of humanity among those who engage in lethal violence."—Kimberly Theidon, Tufts University "Perpetrators[:] Encountering Humanity's Dark Side provides a therapeutic and rewarding read for anthropologists and social scientists who have come into contact with agents of violence through their research, as well as for those who expect to do so."—Sergen Bahceci, Anthropology Book Forum "The book offers a curative reading: healing and, at the same time, crafting together pieces to be displayed in search of meaning. A necessary and exceptional book not only for anthropologists researching genocide and mass violence but also for a broader audience interested on how to approach and write about violence."—Corina Tulbure, Conflict and Society "Robben and Hinton set out to at once impart insights they acquired through decades of ethnographical research into genocide and mass violence, which they call phronesis following the ancient Greeks, and to do so in experimental and thought-provoking ways. Perpetrators is more of a guide than a 'how-to' manual, and yet it manages to provide the reader with practical and suggestive ideas for conducting ethnographic research and writing in a way that avoids the rigidity imposed by academia."—Stevan Bozanich, H-Genocide "In writing this book, Robben and Hinton provide a comprehensive and original contribution to the scholarly research on perpetrators of mass violence.... This is a must-read book. Highly recommended."—A. Kolin, CHOICE "The most important feature of the book in my view is that it is thought-provoking and makes you engage with the topic and really gives an idea of what it is like to do research on perpetrators, and Robben and Hinton have to be applauded for that."—Alette Smeulers, Global Responsibility to Protect

• Introduction: Approaching Perpetrator Research1. Spectacular Perpetrators2. Seductive PerpetratorsInterlude: The Perpetrator and the WitnessInterlude: "They Were No More. None of Them. They Had Become Disappeared."3. The Night Stalkers4. RuinInterlude: For the Sake of the FatherlandInterlude: Interrogation: Comrade Duch's Abecedarian5. Nearing the Paradox6. CurationConclusion: Six Guideposts for Perpetrator Research