Genocide has emerged as one of the leading problems of the twentieth century. No corner of the world seems immune from this form of collective violence. While many individuals are familiar with the term, few people have a clear understanding of what genocide is and how it is carried out. This book clearly discusses the concept of genocide and dispels the widely held misconceptions about how these crimes occur and the mechanisms necessary for its perpetration.
Genocidal Crimes differs from much of the writing on the subject in that it explicitly relies upon the criminological literature to explain the nature and functioning of genocide. Criminology, with its focus on various types of criminality and violence, has much to offer in terms of explaining the origins, dynamics, and facilitators of this particular form of collective violence. Through application of a number of criminological theories to various elements of genocide Alex Alvarez presents a comprehensive analysis of this particular crime. These criminological perspectives are underpinned by a variety of psychological, sociological, and political science based insights in order to present a more complete discussion of the nature and functioning of genocide.
1. Defining a Crime 2. States and Genocide I: State Crime & War 3. States and Genocide II: Legitimacy and Ideology 4. Perpetrators I: The Organizational Context 5. Perpetrators II: The Individual Context 6. An End To Genocide?
Biography
Dr. Alex Alvarez is a Professor in the Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice at Northern Arizona University. The former Director of the Martin-Springer Institute for Teaching the Holocaust, Tolerance, and Humanitarian Values, he has published books on genocide, violence, and homicide
'Alvarez's work is an excellent foray into a previously underutilized paradigm with which to pursue a better and more accurate understanding of genocide...Highly Recommended.'
– Choice, September 2010'...considering this clearly written book actually covers an immense amount of ground in just 144 pages-Genocidal Crimes' remarkable combination of clarity and breadth renders it an indisputable success.'
'It is an easy read, comprehensive yet concise, and probably the perfect introductory primer for criminologists of all levels.'
'...Genocidal Crimes is more than Alvarez's rather modest claim to provide his readership with a "good overview"; it is a succinct, largely complete and thus excellent "jigsaw" of thinking on genocide...and I would strongly recommend it as a first port of call to any of my colleagues and students interested in exploring the topic of genocide studies.'
-Nestar Russell, Nipissing University, in State Crime vol 1 no 1
