The Specter of Genocide: Mass Murder in Historical Perspective

Military Review, May-June, 2004 by John H. Barnhill

THE SPECTER OF GENOCIDE: Mass Murder in Historical Perspective, Robert Gellately and Ben Kiernan, eds., Cambridge University Press, New York, 2003, 396 pages, $60.00.

Genocide? Does the word define crimes of war, crimes against humanity, or ethnic cleansing? The essays in The Specter of Genocide: Mass Murder in Historical Perspective make it clear that these terms are not synonymous. Although the UN defined the term "genocide" in 1948, there is no scholarly consensus on how the other terms are defined.

Genocide is a relatively new field of study that crosses traditional academic disciplines such as history, political science, and sociology in an effort to understand what genocide is and why it happens. This collection of 16 essays includes new material as well as expanded versions of papers presented at the 2000 conference in Barcelona. The editors tie the essays together with introductory and concluding essays.

The essays on "Genocide and Modernity" ask what in modernity produces genocide. Four essays produce four substantial and different answers. These essays should alert the reader not to expect pat answers from the essayists.

Genocide during both World Wars occurred in Armenia, Russia (Stalin's terror), Germany, and Japan. Japanese brutalities in China were not considered genocide but, rather, as crimes of war or crimes against humanity. Since World War II, genocide has occurred in Bali, Rwanda, Yugoslavia, and Guatemala. The essay on Guatemala explains the difficulties in distinguishing between genocide and political repression, as in where the ethnic minority (the Mayans) is also a political threat.

This book is a starting point for those who wish to learn more about the complexities of the genocide debate. While this collection of essays does not provide all of the answers, it makes it apparent just how few answers there really are.

John H. Barnhill, Ph.D., Yukon, Oklahoma