Genocide: Revised and Expanded Edition

by Jane Springer, Jane Springer (Editor), Santiago Solís (Illustrator)

Overview

What is genocide? Why does it happen? What can be done to prevent it from happening again?

At the end of the Second World War, with the establishment of the United Nations, the holding of the Nuremberg Trials and the adoption of the Genocide Convention, the international community assured itself that genocide would never happen again. But never again has become a meaningless phrase.

This book asks why. It also asks, what is genocide? Where has it happened in the past? Who is being threatened by genocide today? And what can we do to prevent this terrible crime from recurring?

Providing an overview of the history of genocide worldwide, this revised, expanded edition helps readers answer these questions. It brings them up to date with recent events—the killing of the Rohingya in Myanmar, the persecution of the Uyghurs in China, the broader recognition of the genocide of Indigenous Peoples, the resurgence of fighting in Darfur, and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. It examines and elucidates the debates and controversies surrounding the use of the term genocide as well as the reasons for the common response by individuals, governments and the United Nations — denial.

Key Text Features

annotated resources

chapters

definitions

explanation

facts

further information

further reading

headings

historical context

illustrations

index

map

sidebars

table of contents

timeline

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781773067605
Publisher:	Groundwood Books
Publication date:	10/01/2024
Series:	Groundwork Guides Series
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	186
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.00(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

JANE SPRINGER is an author, editor and translator who has worked in international development. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

JANE SPRINGER is an author, editor and translator who has worked in international development. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

SANTIAGO SOLÍS is a graphic designer, illustrator, art director and editor. His art has been exhibited internationally. He lives in Mexico City, Mexico.

Read an Excerpt

Why don’t bystanders act? It may be because of fear of authorities and fear of being killed themselves. But many people “stand by” watching (or hiding their eyes) even when they are not personally in danger. They may not involve themselves because the “us-them” propaganda has been successful, and so they do not identify with the victims or recognize their humanity. (The closer or more related a bystander feels to a victim, the more likely he or she is to act to help.) Maybe the bystanders see victims the way the perpetrators want them to see them — as animals or criminals. At times of crisis, bystanders may believe that getting rid of this group of people will solve the country’s or their own personal problems. In many situations, bystanders have something to gain from the victims’ deaths, such as land, money, jobs or consumer goods. And of course, sometimes they just have no idea what they could do to protest or intervene.

Editorial Reviews

[A] thoroughly researched and all-too-relevant history ... The expansive yet concise text manages to tackle a broad, tough topic while remaining digestible to teen audiences.

Kirkus Reviews

Timely and relevant.

Booklist

Students ... will appreciate the clarity and honesty of this important, timely book.

Quill & Quire

Genocide is a call to all people to recognize early indicators of genocide, speak up, seek actions, listen to our neighbours, and help those in our midst who have experienced trauma to heal.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

2024-08-30
This thoroughly researched and all-too-relevant history, an updated version of the 2006 original, examines questions of why genocide happens, who is involved, and how it can be prevented.

Springer definesgenocide as “actions carried out with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group,” though she notes that the ongoing global debate on what constitutes genocide has been fraught, even after the signing of the 1948 United Nations’ Genocide Convention. The book covers a wide variety of genocides in up-to-date detail, including the conflict in Darfur that was reignited in 2023, the ongoing persecution of the Rohingya people of Myanmar, the continued fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and many more, including historical events. Each featured instance is separated into manageable, bite-size case studies; Springer also draws out similarities and connections among them. She discusses climate change, armed conflict, and gender and socio-economic inequities as contributing factors, highlighting the intersectional nuances woven into each issue. The expansive yet concise text manages to tackle a broad, tough topic while remaining digestible to teen audiences—and without shying away from tough questions about the trans-Atlantic slave trade or the brutal treatment of Indigenous children in residential schools. Solís’ starkly dramatic red, black, and white full-page illustrations punctuate the text.

A compact, critical exploration of the devastating history, context, and consequences of global genocides. (timeline, genocides through history, genocides around the world, notes, further reading, index)(Nonfiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews