Maartje Weerdesteijn – författare

Social scientific research focusing on mass atrocities, which include widespread or systematic crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, expanded after the end of the Cold War. Mass violence in the former Yugoslavia, as well as the genocide in Rwanda, sparked new research initiatives in numerous disciplines. Scholars working in various academic fields such as international (criminal) law, political science, psychology, sociology, history, anthropology, and demography began to focus on the causes and consequences of atrocity crimes. Yet knowledge generated by these various disciplines remains scattered and has not been integrated into a single edited volume.The Oxford Handbook on Atrocity Crimes surveys and further develops the evolving field of atrocity crimes studies by combining major mono-, inter-, and multi-disciplinary research on atrocity crimes in one comprehensive volume. With contributions of leading scholars, this handbook will be an essential source and reference tool. Unique in its thematic focus (atrocity crimes as an overarching phenomenon, including crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes) as well as in its comprehensive scope, the book covers the etiology, the actors involved, the harm caused, the reactions to atrocity crimes, and in-depth analyses of understudied situations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

Why would anyone commit a mass atrocity such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, or terrorism? This question is at the core of the multi- and interdisciplinary field of perpetrator studies, a developing field which this book assesses in its full breadth for the first time.Perpetrators of International Crimes analyses the most prominent theories, methods, and evidence to determine what we know, what we think we know, as well as the ethical implications of gathering this knowledge. It traces the development of perpetrator studies whilst pushing the boundaries of this emerging field. The book includes contributions from experts from a wide array of disciplines, including criminology, history, law, sociology, psychology, political science, religiousstudies, and anthropology. They cover numerous case studies, including prominent ones such as Nazi Germany, Rwanda, and the former Yugoslavia, but also those that are relatively under researched and more recent, such as Sri Lanka and the Islamic State. These have been investigated through various research methods,including but not limited to, trial observations and interviews.

Why would anyone commit a mass atrocity such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, or terrorism? This question is at the core of the multi- and interdisciplinary field of perpetrator studies, a developing field which this book assesses in its full breadth for the first time.Perpetrators of International Crimes analyses the most prominent theories, methods, and evidence to determine what we know, what we think we know, as well as the ethical implications of gathering this knowledge. It traces the development of perpetrator studies whilst pushing the boundaries of this emerging field. The book includes contributions from experts from a wide array of disciplines, including criminology, history, law, sociology, psychology, political science, religiousstudies, and anthropology. They cover numerous case studies, including prominent ones such as Nazi Germany, Rwanda, and the former Yugoslavia, but also those that are relatively under researched and more recent, such as Sri Lanka and the Islamic State. These have been investigated through various research methods,including but not limited to, trial observations and interviews.