Genocide – Part One – The ultimate crime

Jun 12, 2024

The podcast delves into the complex meanings of genocide amidst recent global turmoil. It explores the emotional weight of this term and its legal intricacies, especially in contexts like the Holocaust. Historical instances of mass violence, from biblical narratives to colonial atrocities, are examined, revealing a chilling pattern of human behavior. The hosts dissect moral ambiguities, the evolution of genocidal intent, and how these historical lessons inform modern definitions of this ultimate crime.

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INSIGHT

Genocide as Moral Outrage

The word "genocide" is used broadly to express moral outrage, not always its legal definition.
This emotional weight overshadows objective assessment and triggers strong reactions, especially regarding Israel.

INSIGHT

Defining Genocide

Genocide has a strict legal definition and requires proof of intent, not just large-scale killing.
This distinguishes it from crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing, which have different criteria.

ANECDOTE

Origin of "Genocide"

Raphael Lemkin coined "genocide" in 1944, combining "genos" (race/tribe) and "-cide" (kill).
He aimed for a memorable term describing the destruction of groups, not just individuals.

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The war in Gaza has led to accusations of genocide but that word operates on two levels. It’s both a strict legal term that has to be adjudicated by the International Criminal Court and an informal expression of moral outrage. The definition has been contested ever since the word was invented by the lawyer Raphael Lemkin in 1944, in the furnace of the Holocaust.

In this two-part episode Dorian and Ian tell the story of genocide as a legal and political category. What exactly does it mean? How is it different from crimes against humanity or ethnic cleansing? Why is it so hard to prove? And how did it become seen as the ultimate crime?

In part one, Ian and Dorian chart the prehistory of genocide — the ancient desire of groups to utterly eradicate their enemies. They go from the vengeful massacres of the Old Testament and Greek myth to the destruction of Carthage and the Holy War of the Crusades. Then they enter the age of empire, from the crimes of the Conquistadors to the elimination of the Tasmanians. Modern genocide began with the slaughter of the Herero in East Africa and the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, setting the stage for the Nazis.

It’s a disturbing story but a fascinating one, raising essential questions about the rights of the individual versus the rights of the group, the difference between reckless violence and targeted destruction, and humankind’s capacity for justifying mass murder.

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Reading list

• Donald Bloxham and A. Dirk Moses (eds.) - The Oxford Handbook of Genocide Studies,

2013

• Philip Gourevitch – We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our

Families, 1998

• Ben Kiernan – Blood and Soil: A World History of Genocide and Extermination from Sparta

to Darfur, 2007

• Norman N. Naimark - Genocide: A World History, 2016

• Samantha Power – A Problem from Hell, 2002

• Philippe Sands – East West Street, 2016

Written and presented by Ian Dunt and Dorian Lynskey. Producer: Simon Williams. Music by Jade Bailey. Art by Jim Parrett. Logo by Mischa Welsh. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Origin Story is a Podmasters production

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