Explaining that
I study genocide has resulted in many awkward conversations, especially at
light-hearted parties. No
one likes to be reminded of horrific events, and talking about such a serious
topic in causal conversation seems to breech all sorts of social norms. Yet, these conversations have also
revealed that many people don’t know much about genocide beyond what they
learned in their high school history courses. So, before I share more about Rwanda (and since I haven’t
even been here for two full days yet!), I wanted to share some background.
During the Nazi
Holocaust, the word “genocide” didn’t even exist. Rafael Lemkin, a Polish lawyer who had fled persecution in
Poland, coined the term “genocide” during the early 1940s to describe what he
saw as unique events taking place in Germany and Poland. He combined the Greek word genos, which means people or nation, and
the Latin suffix –cide, which means
murder. In 1948, this United
Nations passed the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide, which defines genocide as the intent to destroy, in whole or in part,
a racial, ethnic, religious or national group (etc.). Scholars have proposed
many variations of this definition, but essentially genocide is the destruction
of members of a group because they are members of that
group. It often takes the form of
killing, though it can also involve rape, pillaging/looting, the destruction of
culture, forced internment, and other forms of victimization.
While most
people are aware of the Nazi Holocaust, some do not realize that genocides have
continued to take place. For
example, in 1994, between 500,000 and 1 million people were killed in the
genocide in Rwanda. (I’ll share
more about that later.) This and
many other genocides have provided a stark contrast to narratives of progress
and human rights that are often promoted in the 21st century. But, at the risk of completely
depressing any of you reading this, I do believe there is somewhat of a silver
lining. Genocide is a social
phenomenon that is influenced by the social context. In other words, while it is terrifying on many levels, its
root causes can hopefully be explored and understood. Scholars around the world have been working toward better
understanding these causes, and I hope to contribute to this conversation. This brings me to why I'm in Rwanda, which I'll share shortly!
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