Overview
Genocide, the definitive “crime of crimes,” has produced hundreds of millions of victims who were murdered, raped, sexually assaulted, forcibly displaced, kidnapped, robbed, and mutilated. The most severe violations of human rights are committed during genocidal violence. The sheer number of victims and crimes should imply that genocide is central to the discipline of criminology. Yet, genocide is neglected, marginalized, and undertheorized by criminologists. For the most part, criminologists have been remarkably indifferent to the crime of genocide and failed to incorporate genocide into their research agenda. The unresponsiveness of criminologists to the crime of genocide is part of a broader pattern of collective denial.
Criminologists should have much to contribute to the study of genocide as deviant behavior and social group conflict is at the heart of the legal definition of genocide and a central focus of our discipline. Understanding how and under what conditions...
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Rymond-Richmond, W. (2014). Genocide. In: Bruinsma, G., Weisburd, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5690-2_274
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