Centuries of Genocide: Essays and Eyewitness Accounts

By Samuel Totten

Book Overview

The fourth edition of Centuries of Genocide: Essays and Eyewitness Accounts addresses examples of genocides perpetrated in the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries. Each chapter of the book is written by a recognized expert in the field, collectively demonstrating a wide range of disciplinary perspectives. The book is framed by an introductory essay that spells out definitional issues, as well as the promises, complexities, and barriers to the prevention and intervention of genocide.

To help the reader learn about the similarities and differences among the various cases, each case is structured around specific leading questions. In every chapter authors address: Who committed the genocide? How was the genocide committed? Why was the genocide committed? Who were the victims? What were the outstanding historical forces? What was the long-range impact? What were the responses? How do scholars interpret this genocide? How does learning about this genocide contribute to the field of study?

While the material in each chapter is based on sterling scholarship and wide-ranging expertise of the authors, eyewitness accounts give voice to the victims. This book is an attempt to provoke the reader into understanding that learning about genocide is important and that we all have a responsibility not to become immune to acts of genocide, especially in the interdependent world in which we live today.

Revision highlights include:

New chapters on genocide of Native Americans in the nineteenth century, genocide in Australia, and genocide in the Nuba Mountains

New chapter authors on Herero genocide and Rwanda genocide

Consolidation of the 3 chapters on the Holocaust into one focused case

Several chapters from past editions that were omitted are now available on a companion website (Indonesia, Burundi, indigenous peoples)

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0415871921
• ISBN13: 9780415871921
• Release Date: September 2012
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 593 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

GENOCIDE TEXTBOOK

This can probably best be described as a genocide textbook. It starts with the massacre of the Hereroes of South West Africa in 1904, and ends with Rwanda and Bosnia. Each chapter follows the same format, beginning with a brief description of events and concluding with eyewitness accounts. The historical material in the introductions is a bit dry and matter of fact, but this is more than made up for by the eyewitness accounts, which are both horrific and riveting. Some readers may feel the need to consult an atlas, as chapters refer to such out of the way places as Burundi, Timor and Cambodia. The biggest weakness here is that the authors don't make clear why each genocide is unique. What factors in Armenia, for instance, are also present in Rwanda? Are the massacres in Bangledesh likely to reccur in other situations? Why is the holocaust thought of as different from other genocides? These and other questions are not explored adequately.

Very useful

This is a great book for a student who is looking for an overview of genocides from around the world. It is a good first step in holocaust and genocide education.