The Crime of All Crimes : Toward a Criminology of Genocide

Cambodia. Rwanda. Armenia. Nazi Germany. History remembers these places as the sites of unspeakable crimes against humanity, and indisputably, of genocide. Yet, throughout the twentieth century, the world has seen many instances of violence committed by states against certain groups within their borders—from the colonial ethnic cleansing the Germans committed against the Herero tribe in Africa, to the Katyn Forest Massacre, in which the Soviets shot over 20,000 Poles, to anti-communist mass murders in 1960s Indonesia. Are mass crimes against humanity like these still genocide? And how can an understanding of crime and criminals shed new light on how genocide—the “crime of all crimes”—transpires? In __The Crime of All Crimes__, criminologist Nicole Rafter takes an innovative approach to the study of genocide by comparing eight diverse genocides--large-scale and small; well-known and obscure—through the lens of criminal behavior. Rafter explores different models of genocidal activity, reflecting on the popular use of the Holocaust as a model for genocide and ways in which other genocides conform to different patterns. For instance, Rafter questions the assumption that only ethnic groups are targeted for genocidal “cleansing," and she also urges that actions such as genocidal rape be considered alongside traditional instances of genocidal violence. Further, by examining the causes of genocide on different levels, Rafter is able to construct profiles of typical victims and perpetrators and discuss means of preventing genocide, in addition to delving into the social psychology of genocidal behavior and the ways in which genocides are brought to an end. A sweeping and innovative investigation into the most tragic of events in the modern world, __The Crime of All Crimes__ will fundamentally change how we think about genocide in the present day. "Cambodia. Rwanda. Armenia. Nazi Germany. History remembers these places as the sites of unspeakable crimes against humanity, and indisputably, of genocide. Yet, throughout the twentieth century, the world has seen many instances of violence committed by states against certain groups within their borders--from the colonial ethnic cleansing the Germans committed against the Herero tribe in Africa, to the Katyn Forest Massacre, in which the Soviets shot over 20,000 Poles, to anti-communist mass murders in 1960s Indonesia. Are mass crimes against humanity like these still genocide? And how can an understanding of crime and criminals shed new light on how genocide--the "crime of all crimes"--Transpires? In The Crime of All Crimes, criminologist Nicole Rafter takes an innovative approach to the study of genocide by comparing eight diverse genocides--large-scale and small; well-known and obscure--through the lens of criminal behavior. Rafter explores different models of genocidal activity, reflecting on the popular use of the Holocaust as a model for genocide and ways in which other genocides conform to different patterns. For instance, Rafter questions the assumption that only ethnic groups are targeted for genocidal "cleansing," and she also urges that actions such as genocidal rape be considered alongside traditional instances of genocidal violence. Further, by examining the causes of genocide on different levels, Rafter is able to construct profiles of typical victims and perpetrators and discuss means of preventing genocide, in addition to delving into the social psychology of genocidal behavior and the ways in which genocides are brought to an end. A sweeping and innovative investigation into the most tragic of events in the modern world, The Crime of All Crimes will fundamentally change how we think about genocide in the present day."--Publisher's description Cover 1 Contents 8 List of Illustrations 10 Preface 12 1. Genocide, Criminology, and Evolution of the “Crime of Crimes” 16 THE KATYN FOREST GENOCIDE, 1940 16 2. What Kind of a Crime Is Genocide? 39 CAPSULE SUMMARIES OF EIGHT GENOCIDES 39 3. The Big Picture: The Macro Dynamics of Genocide 69 THE HERERO GENOCIDE, 1904–1907 69 4. The Emotional Dynamics of Genocide: Meso-Level Analyses 95 THE INDONESIAN GENOCIDE, 1965–1966 95 5. Extermination Up Close and Personal: Genocide on the Micro Level 121 THE CAMBODIAN GENOCIDE, 1975–1979 121 6. Mobilization for Destruction 146 THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE, 1915–1923 THE NAZI GENOCIDE OF THE DISABLED, 1939–1945 146 7. Gender and Genocide 167 THE RWANDAN GENOCIDE, 1994 167 8. How Do Genocides End? Do They End? 196 THE GUATEMALAN GENOCIDE, 1981–1983 196 9. Treating Genocide as a Crime 217 Appendix A: Twentieth-Century Genocides 244 Appendix B: Case-Study Questions 250 Notes 254 References 282 Index 306 A 306 B 306 C 306 D 307 E 307 F 307 G 307 H 309 I 309 J 309 K 309 L 310 M 310 N 310 O 310 P 311 R 311 S 311 T 311 U 312 V 312 W 312 Y 312 Z 312 About the Author 314 Nicole Rafter. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.