Full Description
Why would anyone commit a mass atrocity such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, or terrorism? This question is at the core of the multi- and interdisciplinary field of perpetrator studies, a developing field which this book assesses in its full breadth for the first time.
Perpetrators of International Crimes analyses the most prominent theories, methods, and evidence to determine what we know, what we think we know, as well as the ethical implications of gathering this knowledge. It traces the development of perpetrator studies whilst pushing the boundaries of this emerging field. The book includes contributions from experts from a wide array of disciplines, including criminology, history, law, sociology, psychology, political science, religious studies, and anthropology. They cover numerous case studies, including prominent ones such as Nazi Germany, Rwanda, and the former Yugoslavia, but also those that are relatively under researched and more recent, such as Sri Lanka and the Islamic State. These have been investigated through various research methods, including but not limited to, trial observations and interviews.
Contents
Benjamin B. Ferencz: Preface
Alette Smeulers, Barbora Holá, and Maartje Weerdesteijn: Introduction
PART I: PERPETRATOR STUDIES
1: Alette Smeulers: Historical Overview of Perpetrator Studies
2: Alette Smeulers, Barbora Holá and Maartje Weerdesteijn: Theories, Methods, and Evidence
PART II: REFLECTING ON METHODS AND SOURCES
3: Chandra Lekha Sriram: Perpetrators, Fieldwork, and Ethical Concerns
4: Mina Rauschenbach: Interviewing Perpetrators against the Backdrop of Ethical Concerns and Reflexivity
5: Thijs Bouwknegt and Adina-Loredana Nistor: Studying 'Perpetrators' through the Lens of the Criminal Trial
PART III: STUDYING PERPETRATION
6: Ugur Ümit Üngö: Perpetration as a Process: A Historical-Sociological Model
7: Kjell Anderson: The Margins of Perpetration: Role-Shifting in Genocide
8: Erin Jessee: Beyond Perpetrators: Complex Political Actors surrounding the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda
PART IV: STUDYING PERPETRATORS: CASE STUDIES
9: Jonathan Leader Maynard: Studying Perpetrator Ideologies in Atrocity Crimes
10: Pieter Nanninga: Religion and International Crimes: the Case of the Islamic State
11: Georg Frerks: The Female Tigers of Sri Lanka: The Legitimation of Recruitment and Fight
12: Maartje Weerdesteijn: The Rationality and Reign of Paul Kagame
PART V: STUDYING PERPETRATORS ON TRIAL: CASE STUDIES
13: Caroline Fournet: Nothing Must Remain: The (In)visibility of Atrocity Crimes and the Perpetrators' Strategies using the Corpses of their Victims
14: Iva Vukusic: Plausible Deniability: The Challenges in Prosecuting Paramilitary Violence in the former Yugoslavia
15: Mirza Buljubasic and Barbora Holá: Perpetrators on Trial: Characteristics of War Crime Perpetrators Tried by Courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina & ICTY
16: Susanne Karstedt: 'Like Mirrors of Morality': Social Support for Nazi War Criminals in Post-War Germany
Alette Smeulers: Concluding Thoughts
