Genocide and the Politics of Memory : Studying Death to Preserve Life

"More than sixty million people have been victims of genocide in the twentieth century alone, including recent casualties in Bosnia and Rwanda. Herbert Hirsch studies repetitions of large-scale human violence in order to ascertain why people in every historical epoch seem so willing to kill each other. He argues that the primal passions unleashed in the cause of genocide are tied to the manipulation of memory for political purposes. According to Hirsch, leaders often invoke or create memories of real or fictitious past injustices to motivate their followers to kill for political gain or other reasons. Generations pass on their particular versions of events, which then become history. If we understand how cultural memory is created, Hirsch says, we may then begin to understand how and why episodes of mass murder occur and will be able to act to prevent them. In order to revise the politics of memory, Hirsch proposes essential reforms in both the modern political state and in systems of education" -- Publisher's description Sect. I. Politics, Memory, And Mass Death. 1. Memory And Politics In Bosnia. 2. The Politics Of Memory. 3. History As Memory: The Influence Of Time And Paradigm. 4. The Manipulation Of Memory And Political Power -- Sect. Ii. Studying Death. Pt. I. Constructing Memory: Survivors And Theorists. 5. Primo Levi: Recording Memory And Teaching Humanity. 6. Memory And Survival: A Reconsideration Of The Bettelheim-des Pres Debate. Pt. Ii. Explaining Memory: Positivist And Interpretive Social Science. 7. Trivializing Human Memory: Social Science Methods And Genocide Scholarship. 8. Robert Jay Lifton: Memory And Mass Death. Pt. Iii. Transmitting Memory: Why People Kill. 9. The Language Of Extermination. 10. The Socialization Of Memory: Teaching Obedience In Nazi Germany. 11. Learning To Obey: Creating The Conditions For Genocide. 12. Memory And Identity: Developing Self In The Context Of Politics -- Sect. Iii. Preserving Life. 13. Where Do We Go From Here?: Memory And Resocialization To Preserve Life. 14. Memory And The Politics Of Preserving Life: Preventing Genocide In The Post-cold War World -- Epilogue. Memory, Hope, And Triumph Over Evil. Herbert Hirsch. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 217-236) And Index.

More than sixty million people have been victims of genocide in the twentieth century alone, including recent casualties in Bosnia and Rwanda. Herbert Hirsch studies repetitions of large-scale human violence in order to ascertain why people in every historical epoch seem so willing to kill each other. He argues that the primal passions unleashed in the cause of genocide are tied to the manipulation of memory for political purposes.

According to Hirsch, leaders often invoke or create memories of real or fictitious past injustices to motivate their followers to kill for political gain or other reasons. Generations pass on their particular versions of events, which then become history. If we understand how cultural memory is created, Hirsch says, we may then begin to understand how and why episodes of mass murder occur and will be able to act to prevent them. In order to revise the politics of memory, Hirsch proposes essential reforms in both the modern political state and in systems of education.

A study into repetitions of large-scale human violence throughout history. It suggests that if we begin to understand how and why these episodes occur, we will be able to act to prevent them. To revise the politics of memory, proposals for essential reforms of the political state are made.