Genocide, Risk and Resilience ― An Interdisciplinary Approach

This collection adopts an interdisciplinary approach in order to understand the various factors at work in genocidal processes and their aftermath. The strong emphasis on legal norms, legal concepts and legal measures in other studies fails to consider further significant issues in relation to genocide. This book aims to redress this balance exploring social dynamics and human behaviour as well as the interplay of various psychological, political, sociological, anthropological and historical factors at work in genocidal processes.

With contributions from top international scholars, this volume provides an integrated perspective on risk and resilience, acknowledging the importance of mitigating factors in understanding and preventing genocide. It explores a range of issues including the conceptual definition of genocide, the notion of intent, preventive measures, transitional justice, the importance of property, the role of memory, self or national interest and principles of social existence.

Genocide, Risk and Resilience aims to cross conceptual, disciplinary and temporal boundaries and in doing so, provides rich insights for scholars from across political science, history, law, philosophy, anthropology and theology.

Bert Ingelaere has studied philosophy as well as social and cultural anthropology at the University of Leuven (KULeuven) and holds a PhD in Development Studies, University of Antwerp. Since 2004, he has conducted over 35 months of fieldwork in rural Rwanda and Burundi. Currently, he is postdoctoral research fellow from the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) at the Institute of Development Policy and Management (IOB), University of Antwerp and affiliated with the Centre for Research on Peace and Development (CRPD), KULeuven. Previously, he was a researcher for the World Bank in Rwanda and China. His latest research focuses on social mobility in post-conflict/genocide context. He has written several articles and reports on Rwanda and Burundi for such publications as African Affairs, International Journal of Transitional Justice or Critique of Anthropology.

Stephan Parmentier is Professor of Crime, Law and Human Rights at KU Leuven, Belgium. In July 2010 he was appointed Secretary-General of the International Society for Criminology and he also serves on the Advisory Board of the Oxford Centre of Criminology and the International Institute for Sociology of Law (Onati). His research interests include political crimes, transitional justice and human rights and the administration of criminal justice.

Jacques Haers is Academic Director of the University Centre Saint Ignatius Antwerp and Chair of Systematic Theology at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, KU Leuven, Belgium. His research interests are in contextual and liberation theologies, globalization and conflict transformation, eco-theology, philosophies and theologies of encounter and processes of relational constructionism and common discernment.

Barbara Segaert is Scientific Coordinator, University Centre Saint Ignatius Antwerp, Belgium, where she develops academic programmes on various topics of contemporary relevance to society.