Genocide. Studying the dark side of humans

The 20th century has been called, not inaccurately, a century of genocide. Yet, the beginning of the 21st century has seen little change, with genocidal violence in Darfur, Congo, Sri Lanka, and Syria. Why is genocide so widespread and so difficult to stop, across societies that differ so much culturally, technologically, and politically? With: Diana Oncioiu, Alex de Jong, Thijs Bouwknegt, Uğur Ümit Üngör and Ton Zwaan.

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The MA programme Holocaust and Genocide Studies (HGS, UvA) was set up in 2003. Students discussed the question above, amongst many others. Recently the scholarly publication Genocide. New Perspectives on its Causes, Courses and Consequences was published with AUP. In this book – which is part of the NIOD book series – ten alumni from Holocaust and Genocide Studies offer a range of perspectives from different disciplines to attempt to understand the pervasiveness of genocidal violence.

During this afternoon, three authors, each with different backgrounds and expertise, will discuss their findings on the genocidal process. They will address the broad topic of genocide studies and reflect on its painstaking relevance. How has genocide research developed since the term was coined in the 1940s? And does the theory of genocide studies contribute to understanding modern mass atrocities? The programme will be moderated by Uğur Ümit Üngör, also a graduate of Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Ton Zwaan, sociologist, anthropologist, and former professor Holocaust and Genocide Studies, presents a column on the topic.

About the speakers

Diana Oncioiu is a journalist for the online medium România de la zero. In her chapter Ethnic nationalism and genocide: constructing the other in Romania and Serbia she aims to answer why and how nationalism became the central element in shaping the elite perception of minorities, politics, religion, civilization to the extent that genocide turned out to be not only an option but the solution.

Alex de Jong is co-director of the International Institute for Research and Education (IIRE). In his chapter “Hunting spectres: paranoid purges in the Filipino communist guerrilla movement” Alex argues that the main factor in creating suspicion about spies in the movement was the deepening contradiction between the movement’s worldview and political changes on the ground.

Thijs Bouwknegt is finishing his PhD research on the historical legacy of atrocity trials and truth commissions dealing with mass violence in sub-Sahara Africa. His chapter Unravelling atrocity: between Transitional Justice and history in Rwanda and Sierra Leone unveils the challenging relationship between Transitional Justice and history by looking at the civil war in Rwanda and Sierra Leone.

Ton Zwaan studied social sciences at the University of Amsterdam. Until 2011 he was Assistant Professor at the Anthropology and Sociology Department of the University of Amsterdam and a member of the academic staff of NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies. His publications include Civilisering en decivilisering (2001) and Genocide en de crisis van Joegoslavië 1985-2005 (2005).

Uğur Ümit Üngör (moderator) obtained his PhD cum laude at the University of Amsterdam in 2009. He was connected to the Centre for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (2005-2008), and the universities of Sheffield (2008-2009) and Dublin (2009-2010). Currently he is Research Fellow at the Institute for War, Holocaust, and Genocide Studies and Associate Professor at the Department of History at Utrecht University.

About the NIOD book series

The NIOD series with Amsterdam University Press encompasses peer-reviewed scholarly work on the impact of war, holocaust, and genocides on twentieth-century societies, covering a broad range of historical approaches in a global context, and from diverse disciplinary perspectives.

Register here (You can sign up for this program for free. Subscribing is not non-committal: Spui25 counts on your presence. If you are unable to attend, please let them know via  spui25@uva.nl | T: +31 (0)20 525 8142.)

In cooperation with Amsterdam University Press (AUP) and Spui25.