A Cultural History of Genocide in the Modern World

The cry of “never again” reverberated around the world in the aftermath of the Holocaust. Yet despite the unprecedented horrors of the Shoah, and the subsequent creation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the frequency of genocide intensified in the post-Holocaust period. Since 1945 there have been genocides or mass killings in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), East Timor, Indonesia, Guatemala, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur, Iraq, and elsewhere.

This volume examines the cultural history of genocide in the modern world. It focuses on the period from the end of the Second World War to the present day. The volume examines not only the many genocides that have occurred during this period, but the beliefs and actions that led to them, the local and international responses, and the changing way in which genocide has been understood. It chronicles key developments, including the creation of international legal and political mechanisms to address genocide. It also considers creative and artistic responses to genocide, and how genocide is remembered and memorialized in the modern world. Finally, it examines the issue of genocide prevention, and the prospects for a more positive future.