A Comprehensive
Introduction
by Adam Jones, Ph.D.
Routledge/Taylor & Francis Publishers, June 2006
xxvi + 430 pp., US $33.95 (p/b)
ISBN: 0-415-35384-X (paperback)
ISBN: 0-415-35385-8 (hardcover)
"This is the best introductory text available to students of genocide studies.
Written in clear, elegant prose and supported by a wealth of authoritative sources,
Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction is likely to become the gold standard
by which all subsequent introductions to this enormously important subject will be measured."
- Kenneth J. Campbell, University of Delaware; author of Genocide and the Global Village
Welcome to
This website features:
- Text Excerpts from Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction, by Adam Jones.
- Table of Contents.
- Bibliography: all the suggested "Further Readings" in Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction, combined as one convenient HTML file.
- Filmography of movies and documentaries with a genocide theme.
- For Teachers: discussion questions, information on bulk ordering of books for classroom use, syllabus of Yale genocide course, the Genocide Studies Media File, "Twelve Great Songs About Genocide," publicity brochure, media coverage.
- Links to anti-genocide organizations and online resources.
- Genocide: A Personal Journey: an essay by Adam Jones, available exclusively on this site.
- Genocide_Studies Mailing List: sign up for this mailing list and receive the Genocide_Studies Media File, a regular compendium of media coverage and human rights reporting on genocide and crimes against humanity.
Coming in July 2010:
Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction,
Second Edition
About the Textbook
"The subtitle says it all: unique in the literature, this book provides a thorough, comprehensive introduction to the subject of genocide. Jones ... delivers a very readable, intellectually stimulating text. The overall perspective is interdisciplinary. Relevant research and insights from psychology, sociology, and anthropology are included; maps and illustrations complement many of the examples and case studies. ... The historical coverage ranges from discussions of genocide in the Hebrew Bible to contemporary abominations in Sudan's Darfur region. Commendably, there are thoughtful chapters on the significance of gender, memory and denial, and postgenocide tribunals. The book concludes with strategies to anticipate future genocides and intervene when necessary. Readers are encouraged as responsible citizens to consider their reactions to genocide. Summing Up: Essential. All readership levels."
- P.G. Conway, writing in Choice, April 2007
"Without question the best textbook on the study of genocide is Adam Jones' Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction."
- Allan D. Cooper, The Geography of Genocide (2008)
Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction is the most wide-ranging and interdisciplinary textbook on genocide yet published. The book is designed as a text for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as a primer for non-specialists and general readers interested in learning about one of humanity's most enduring blights. Over the course of sixteen chapters, genocide scholar Adam Jones provides an introduction to genocide as both historical phenomenon and analytical-legal concept; discusses the role of imperialism, war, and social revolution in fueling genocide; and supplies no fewer than seven full-length case-studies of genocides worldwide, each with an accompanying box-text. A unique section explores perspectives on genocide from the social sciences, including psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science/international relations, and gender studies. The final section of the book considers "The Future of Genocide," with attention to historical memory and genocide denial; initiatives for truth, justice, and redress; and strategies of intervention and prevention. Written in clear and lively prose, liberally sprinkled with illustrations and personal testimonies from genocide survivors, Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction is destined to become a core text of the new generation of genocide scholarship.
Adam Jones, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. Prior to that, he was Research Fellow for 2005-07 in the Genocide Studies Program at Yale University, and taught for five years at the CIDE research institute in Mexico City. He is editor of two books on genocide: Gendercide and Genocide (Vanderbilt University Press, 2004) and Genocide, War Crimes & the West (Zed Books, 2004). He has also published two books on the mass media and political transition. His scholarly articles have appeared in Review of International Studies, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Journal of Genocide Research, Journal of Human Rights, and other publications. He is executive director of Gendercide Watch, a web-based educational initiative that confronts gender-selective atrocities against men and women worldwide. Personal website: adamjones.freeservers.com.
"With its interdisciplinary approach and bevy of case studies, Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction will surely become the seminal text for students of genocide. Written in an engaging and conversational style, the book not only explores existing frameworks, but expands the boundaries of genocide studies with attention to issues such as gender and the future of genocide. Perhaps best of all, Jones educates and inspires the reader to become an active and responsible global citizen."
- Nicholas Robins, Visiting Scholar, Duke University
Author of Native Insurgencies and the Genocidal Impulse in the Americas
"This wide-ranging inquest into the dynamics of genocidal violence stands as a major contribution to the dismal science of 'massacrology.' More than a collection of case studies, it offers a depth of critical insight and a richness of data seldom matched in comparative studies of genocide. Informed by a formidable erudition, and a deep personal sensitivity to the horrors that he describes, Adam Jones's splendid book is a milestone in the literature on mass crimes and genocide."
- René Lemarchand, Department of Political Science, University of Florida
Author of Burundi: Ethnic Conflict and Genocide
susan clinard
I have been captivated by the powerful and deeply humanistic work of Susan Clinard, an artist and sculptor who recently moved to New Haven. Susan's website is at www.clinard.org. She writes: "My sculptures are about spirituality, destruction, hatred and love. They explore life's continual cycle of tearing down and rebuilding. They are about the duality between the ugly and the beautiful. I cannot see one without the other. ... I ask how it is possible that we have the capabilities to hate, kill, and destroy while others and even the same person can love so deeply, show compassion without limitations, and have faith and hope at all costs. I try to explore these stark dualities in my recent works about 'the ugly' and 'the beautiful'. I try to see all of what life presents to me everyday. Inside this reality my heart and mind travels through utter despair and sheer elation. I am constantly reminded that I am living and I am blessed beyond words. I feel the responsibility as an artist to reveal truth and remain humble. I want to speak for those who are too frequently forgotten or ignored and to pay honor to fellow creators, musicians, scientists, dancers, and lovers."
I wish to acknowledge with gratitude the financial assistance of Frederick J. Iseman, Esq., whose donation to the Yale Genocide Studies Program funded the post-doctoral fellowship that brought me to the program, and allowed me to finish work on Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction with access to the unparalleled human and material resources at Yale.
Website designed and copyright 2005-09 by Adam Jones.
adam@genocidetext.net
Detail of cover photo by John Adams for Rotary International Image Library.
Author photo by Farid Kahhat.
Thanks to Cooltext.com and Artist4hire.net for graphics.
Last updated: 18 October 2009.