What is Genocide?

Martin Shaw, Professor of International Relations and Politics, University of Sussex

* Contents * Preface * INTRODUCTION *1 The Sociological Crime * Social classification and genocide * Studying genocide? * Disciplining the study * Sociology and the sociological crime * Revisiting concepts and classification * PART ONE * THE CONTRADICTIONS OF GENOCIDE THEORY *2 Neglected Foundations * Genocide as social destruction and its connections with war * Lemkin's sociological framework * Genocide and the laws of war * Separation of genocide from war * Narrowing genocide to physical destruction * A new definition *3 The Maximal Standard * The significance of the Holocaust * Holocaust 'uniqueness' * The Holocaust standard in comparative study * Holocausts and genocides *4 The Minimal Euphemism * The substitution of 'ethnic cleansing' for genocide * Origins of 'cleansing' terminology *'Cleansing' and genocide *'Non-genocidal' expulsions: the case of the Germans * Connections between post-war 'cleansing' and the Holocaust * Peaceful, legal 'transfers' and 'exchanges'? * The territorial dimension *5 Conceptual Proliferation * The many 'cides' of genocide * New frameworks: murderous cleansing and democide * Ethnocide and cultural genocide * Gendercide * Politicide * Classicide * Urbicide * Auto-genocide * Genocide as a framework * PART TWO * THE SOCIOLOGY OF GENOCIDE *6 From Intentionality to a Structural Concept * Social action, social relations and conflict * Intention in the light of a sociology of action * Limits of intentionality * Social relations and a structure of conflict *7 Elements of Genocidal Conflict * Social groups, destruction and war * Social groups in genocide * The destruction of groups * Genocide as war *8 The Missing Concept of Genocide Studies * The civilian category and its social meaning * The civilian enemy * Civilians in international law * The social production of civilians * Civilians, combatants and social stratification * Civilian resistance and genocidal war *9 Explanations * From modernity to warfare * Types of genocide * Modernity * Culture and psychology * Economy * Politics * Warfare * Domestic and international *10 CONCLUSION * The Relevance of Conceptual Analysis * Genocide in 21st century politics * New historic conditions for genocide? * Contemporary challenge: the case of Darfur