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Past Program

Jun 12 - Jun 14, 2009 Fellow 04

Preventing Genocide and Mass Violence: What can be learned from history?

Abstract

Once Raphael Lemkin had coined the term 'genocide' in 1944 the paradigmatic case rapidly became the Holocaust, and it remains the first point of reference, with, if anything, growing academic and public interest around it in recent decades. How far does, or should, this paradigm influence the way policy-makers and electorates react to the signs of genocide as one begins, or support a particular course of action once it is over?

The uniqueness of the Holocaust, however, is often stressed, and Lemkin and the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide allow for a broader definition of genocide, for instance including serious harm to a group rather than necessarily mass killings (though the UN Convention excluded political, as opposed to ethnic, groups on Soviet insistence). Does our common historical understanding - looking also at more recent genocides such as Rwanda and at Srebrenica, as well as the Holocaust - enhance or blur our recognition of genocide and reactions to it?

We will examine these questions with reference to education and public history to be found in:

  • TV history documentaries
  • Hollywood movies
  • Public memorials
  • New media resources and school curricula
  • The rationale and impact of laws against Holocaust denial

* the combined alumni of Salzburg Global Seminar and Fellows of the 21st Century Trust

     

Fee & Logistical Information:

FULLY BOOKED!!! Those interested may still write to have their names added to a waiting list.

The special fee for this conference is Euro 50 and covers payment of tuition and the cost of accommodations (while space lasts) and meals during the program. Transportation costs are not included in this figure. The program will begin in the evening of the 12th at approximately 19:00 and conclude on the 14th after lunch. This event will be held in Chateau Klingenthal (click for approximate location), near Strasbourg, France.

Please contact us about registering to attend:

John Lotherington, Senior Adviser & Director of Seminars: jlotherington(at)SalzburgGlobal.org

Ian Brown, Manager of the Salzburg Global Fellowship: ibrown(at)SalzburgGlobal.org

Payment can be made via credit card (American Express, Diners, Mastercard, Visa) o