Politics of Annihilation: A Genealogy of Genocide

The concept of genocide has evolved from a novel vision for international justice to a conservative, even inaccessible term due to its limited conception, which has created legal and political institutions that do not adequately respond to the diversity of mass violence. Benjamin Meiches argues that the discourse on genocide has implicitly excluded many forms of violence from popular attention and that it has impacted contemporary political life as a means of protesting the social conditions that produce mass violence.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 328 pages
\n Publication date: 19 March 2019
\n Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
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The term "genocide" has gained significant importance in international justice over the past seventy-five years. However, it has been questioned whether it has evolved from a novel vision of justice into a conservative and inaccessible term. The Politics of Annihilation explores how the concept of genocide has been contested and refashioned over time, and how these shifts have impacted the definition of genocide and the response to mass violence.

Benjamin Meiches argues that the limited conception of genocide, often understood as mass killing rooted in ethno-religious identity, has created legal and political institutions that do not adequately respond to the diversity of mass violence. He emphasizes the complexity of the concept and the need for clear condemnations of such violence, while also recognizing that genocide cannot be a static or timeless notion. Meiches argues that the discourse on genocide has implicitly excluded many forms of violence from popular attention, including cases in Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the legacies of colonial politics in Haiti, Canada, and elsewhere, and the effects of climate change on small island nations.

The Politics of Annihilation provides a new understanding of how the language of genocide impacts contemporary political life, particularly as a means of protesting the social conditions that produce mass violence. It highlights the need for a broader and more inclusive conception of genocide that recognizes the diverse forms of mass violence and their underlying causes. By mapping the multiplicity of forces that entangle the concept in larger assemblages of power, the book offers a valuable contribution to the study of genocide and its implications for international justice.

\n Weight: 428g\n
Dimension: 141 x 215 x 18 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781517905828\n \n