Genocide and the Defeat of Memory

Abstract

Where genocide is concerned, the uses of memory and time are many. Time is encoded in memories, and the persistence of memory is one of the hallmarks of our humanity. Memory relative to the study of genocide is fraught with divisions. The term is often misunderstood, such that any example of human rights abuse can often become “genocide” in popular discourse. It can be abused and applied for political, ideological, or dogmatic ends. France in the aftermath of World War II provides a case in point, when both genocide perpetration and genocide victimhood took place simultaneously through the collaborationist French government at Vichy. This presents us with an illustration of the uses of memory in a situation of genocide. This essay considers those who shape memory, where any discussion relating to the use of memory needs to consider what happens when parochial actors seek to exploit historical memory (or historical amnesia) for reasons other than a quest for scholarly truth.