The Genocide Paradox: Democracy and Generational Time

Democracies are caught in a bind, disavowing genos-thinking while cherishing the temporal forms of genos-life. This is the genocide paradox, as Byrne argues that models of democracy fail to grasp its generational structure or acknowledge the generational content of our lives. This leaves us unprepared for confronting democracys deficits and its struggle to entertain multiple temporalities, and understanding the relation between demos and violence.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 25 April 2023
Publisher: Fordham University Press

We hold genocidal violence in particularly low regard, considering it to be one of the most heinous forms of violence imaginable. However, this raises an important question about the values that underpin the nations supposedly founded on these genos. This is a pressing concern for democratic societies. We place great value on the temporal mode of being that connects us to both the past and the future, encompassing both those who have existed and those who may yet come into existence. If the genos is defined by generational time, then the demos emerged as its antithesis, devoid of any inheritance criteria and solely contingent upon the interruption of revolutionary time. As long as the demos persists, we perceive it as a form of genos, such as the democratic nation-state. Consequently, democracies find themselves in a paradoxical situation, where they disavow genos-thinking while cherishing the temporal manifestations of genos-life. They condemn genocidal violence but perpetuate and conceal it. This phenomenon is known as the genocide paradox.

Byrne delves into the origins of this problem by tracing the influence of existential categories from Aristotle to the life taxonomies of Linneaus and Darwin, as well as anthropologies of kinship that bind us to the social world. She also examines the shortcomings of ethical theory and the historical development of democratic theory, highlighting the defensive tactics employed by real-existing democracies when defining genocide for the U.N. Genocide Convention. Through her analysis, Byrne argues that models of democracy fail to grasp the generational structure of society or acknowledge the generational content of our lives. This ignorance leads to a lack of awareness regarding the contingency and fragility of the relations that shape and sustain us. The consequences of this are profound, as it leaves us ill-equipped to address the deficiencies of democracy and its challenges in accommodating multiple temporalities. Furthermore, it hinders our ability to confront the fragility of our existence and the urgent need to cultivate a deeper understanding of the complexities of our world.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781531503260