Colonialism and Cold Genocide: The Case of West Papua

Abstract

Conventional understandings of genocide are rooted in the 'Holocaust model': intense mass killing directed at the immediate destruction of the group. Yet, such conceptions do not encompass cases of so-called "slow-motion" genocide, where the destruction of the group may occur over generations. The destruction of indigenous groups often follows such a pattern. This article examines the case of West Papua with a view to developing a new analytical model distinguishing high-intensity "hot" genocides, motivated by hate and the victims' threatening nature, with low-intensity "cold genocides," rooted in victims' supposed inferiority. Abstract: Conventional understandings of genocide are rooted in the Holocaust model: intense mass killing directed at the immediate destruction of the group. Yet, such conceptions do not encompass cases of so-called slow-motion genocide, where the destruction of the group may occur over generations. The destruction of indigenous groups often follows such a pattern. This article examines the case of West Papua with a view to developing a new analytical model distinguishing high-intensity hot genocides, motivated by hate and the victims' threatening nature, with low-intensity cold genocides, rooted in victims' supposed inferiority.