Synopses & Reviews
This book is a frank and hopeful meditation on the recurring tragedy of genocide that should be read by anybody who cares about its prevention. Hirsch argues if we are to successfully confront, prevent, or control the most egregious aspects of genocidal violence, we must create containing political institutions and social mechanisms. But ultimately human nature must change to temper the worst excesses of genocidal violence, given its long and intractable historical presence. Hirsch looks hard at complex realities and proposes how to build a politics of prevention. Focusing on the United States, a political movement must be built that supports the politics of prevention in the international realm. Long-term prevention depends on changing how humans view each other, though. Creating a new ethic of life-enhancing behavior based on the ideology of universal human rights that is passed on from generation to generation via the process of political socialization ultimately is our best hope of preventing future genocides.
This book begins with the fact that there is apparently nothing historically unique about human beings killing one another in relatively large numbers. Genocide appears to be a phenomenon that has been a part of human history since we began to record our worst excesses. Certainly it has been in the forefront of human consciousness as the last century came to its bloody conclusion. It is not an intractable problem. A mass movement to prevent genocide can be built, and once created it should pressure the federal government to focus its foreign policy on the prevention of genocide.
Review
[A] valuable contribution to our understanding of how to eradicate genocide. Well written with wonderful insight and often biting wit, Anti-Genocide is sure to provoke thoughtful discussion and, let's hope, lasting change.Holocaust and Genocide Studies
Synopsis
A frank and hopeful meditation on the recurring tragedy of genocide that should be read by anybody who cares about helping to build a movement to prevent genocide.
Synopsis
This frank and hopeful meditation on the recurring tragedy of genocide should be read by anybody who cares about its prevention. The author argues that if we are to successfully confront, prevent, or control the most egregious aspects of genocidal violence, we must create containing political institutions and social mechanisms. Focusing on the United States, Hirsch looks hard at complex realities and proposes how to build a politics of prevention.
About the Author
HERBERT HIRSCH is Professor of Political Science at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond.