Why I’m not discussing genocide in Jerusalem

New on openDemocracy The International Network of Genocide Scholars (INOGS) is holding a conference in Jerusalem this weekend. The initiative has attracted an attack by Israel Charny in the Jerusalem Post under the lurid heading, ‘Genocide scholars who minimize the Holocaust – and some who are coming to town’. This summarised his article published in… Continue reading Why I’m not discussing genocide in Jerusalem

New edition of What is Genocide?

The Second Edition of my What is Genocide? has just been published by Polity Press. Fully revised, it includes a new chapter with an extended critical assessment of Lemkin, development of the argument on 'structure' and genocide, and improved presentation for teaching purposes. 20% discount and examination copies are available via this link: What is Genocide… Continue reading New edition of What is Genocide?

Daniel Feierstein, ‘Reorganising Genocide’ and Argentina (review)

Daniel Feierstein, Genocide as a Social Practice: Reorganizing Society under the Nazis and Argentina’s Military Juntas. Translated from Spanish (Argentine) by Douglas Andrew Town. Rutgers University Press, 2014. Daniel Feierstein sent me an advance copy of the English translation of Genocidio como Practicio Social, his study of the Nazis and the Argentine military junta as… Continue reading Daniel Feierstein, ‘Reorganising Genocide’ and Argentina (review)

Palestine and Genocide Revisited

The difficulties of serious debate about Palestine: this short commentary has just appeared in Holy Land Studies (12, 1, 2013, 1-8; below is a draft version). The same issue includes an excellent piece by Farid Abdel-Nour, 'From Critic to Cheerleader: The Clarifying Example of Benny Morris' "Conversion"', the clarification being relevant to all who try to… Continue reading Palestine and Genocide Revisited

The Holocaust and genocide: loose talk, bad action

A new post on openDemocracy 21 March 2012 Israel's prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu made a characteristic intervention during his address in Washington to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac ↑ ) on 5 March 2012. In voicing determination to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and thus to reject a situation where Israelis would… Continue reading The Holocaust and genocide: loose talk, bad action

Review of Mann, The Dark Side of Democracy, for Sociology, 2006

When a sociologist as important as Michael Mann publishes three books in just over a year, two of them clearly major works and the third on the big political questions of the day, it is clearly an event for the field. The first two are fruits of a big detour from the third volume of… Continue reading Review of Mann, The Dark Side of Democracy, for Sociology, 2006