genocide

The Conventional Wisdom About War Crimes is Wrong

by Brian Klaas

Ideology can be seductive, and doesn't require monstrous people to incite monstrous acts. 

New Documentary Examines the Controversial San Francisco School Mural

Artists and scholars debate the value of confronting historical discomfort against claims that images of violence are traumatizing. Historian Amna Khalid weighs in. 

Fascists' PR Plan? Distance from Associations with Jewish Genocide

by Ruth Ben-Ghiat

Despite the efforts of denialists, the Holocaust remains a significant obstable to public acceptance of fascism. Contemporary far-right politicians have adopted the position that genocide was a step too far beyond an otherwise good ideology. 

Once More in Ukraine, Dehumanization Precursor to Mass Murder

by Anne Applebaum

Suppressing knowledge of the horrors of starvation inflicted on Ukrainians in the 1930s is a key to Russia's ability to use similar dehumanizing rhetoric to justify attacks on civilians today. 

Once More in Ukraine, Dehumanization Precursor to Mass Murder

by Anne Applebaum

Suppressing knowledge of the horrors of starvation inflicted on Ukrainians in the 1930s is a key to Russia's ability to use similar dehumanizing rhetoric to justify attacks on civilians today. 

Biden Was Right: De-Ukrainization is Genocide

by Francine Hirsch

Putin's calls for “de-Ukrainization” are an incitement to genocide: to “destroy, in whole or in part,” the Ukrainian nation.

What's Happening in Ukraine Is Genocide. Period

by Eugene Finkel

"I am well aware of the need for caution, and in the past have criticized the governments of many post-Soviet states — including Ukraine, where I was born — for misusing the term. Not now."

Putin's Claims of Genocide are Far From First Time Term has Been Exploited

by Alexander Hinton

"Governments and political leaders have long used genocide claims to make threats against other countries, or to provide a rationale for foreign intervention."

New England Once Hunted and Killed Indigenous People for Money, Say Survivors' Descendants

"We are part of the team behind the new short documentary Bounty. In New England alone, we’ve uncovered government payments for 375 human scalps, submitted in 94 separate claims and equaling government payments of millions of dollars in today’s money."

The Canadian Historical Association's Genocide Statement "Brazenly Unscholarly" (Opinion)

Columnist Barbara Kay supports Canadian historians who have dissented from the Canadian Historical Association's statement that Canadian treatment of First Nations peoples was genocidal. 

Texas Plan to Direct Tourists to Sites of Native Displacement Draws Criticism

Even as the state's educational authorities move to diminish coverage of Native displacement in school curricula, the Texas Historical Commission wants help from the state's tribes to identify historical heritage sites. 

Christopher Columbus And The Replacement-Level Historical Figure

by Patrick Wyman

Rather than debate Columbus's heroism or villainy, take a page from sports analytics: consider him a mediocre player and focus on the broader game being played.

Like the U.S., Rwanda is in a Pitched Battle Over its History

by Tom Zoellner

"Rwanda holds an important lesson for America’s culture wars today, but not in the way Tucker Carlson thinks. Rather, in Rwanda, political leaders have rewritten the country’s history to gain political power."

Germany Apologized for a Genocide. It’s Nowhere Near Enough

by Kavena Hambira and Miriam Gleckman-Krut

"To begin to atone for its Namibian genocide, Germany must negotiate directly with descendants of survivors — and commit to wide-ranging reparations."

‘Lady of Guadalupe’ Avoids Tough Truths About the Catholic Church and Indigenous Genocide

by Rebecca Janzen

"Although it portrays the story of the Virgin of Guadalupe for a broad audience, ultimately this film sanitizes the real-life brutality of the Church toward Indigenous peoples in the 16th century."

Germany Faced its Horrible Past. Can the US Do the Same?

by Michele Norris

"A full accounting of slavery is one of terror and trauma, and for decades the natural inclination was to ask, why would anyone want to claim that history?... What happens if we don’t?" Michele Norris's essay features University of Texas historian Daina Ramey Berry.

Why Germany's Namibia Genocide Apology Isn't Enough

The BBC editorializes that the German government's apologies for its genocidal repression in southwest Africa is more public relations than reparation. 

Germany Acknowledges Colonial Genocide in Namibia and Promises Development Projects

"We will from now on officially call these events what they are from a contemporary perspective: a genocide.”

Germany Nears Accord with Namibia on Colonial Killings

Germany has hinted at its readiness to make compensation payments to Namibia in reparation for the genocidal attacks on the Herero and other peoples in 1904, considered one of the first modern genocides. 

Tribes Want Medals Awarded for Wounded Knee Massacre Rescinded

"To date, the nation has awarded more than 3,500 Medals of Honor, including about 400 to soldiers who fought during campaigns against Native Americans.... no medals awarded for service in the Indian campaigns have been revoked."