Comparison of Genocides

Abstract

A number of scholars have been addressing the problems of genocides and mass murders in modern history; a few have tried to go further back and see whether this type of human behaviour has precedents in previous periods as well.1 To outsiders, the arguments about the definition of genocide may appear arcane, removed from the grim reality they deal with. However, I believe there is a very practical side to the academic discourse on this issue: definitions and descriptions are a first, necessary step to taking preventive measures. It is more likely that such steps produce practical results if the parameters, and therefore questions of liability and responsibility, are defined as clearly as possible.