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Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity

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Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity
EditorDinah Shelton
PublisherMacmillan Reference
Publication date
2005

Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity is a three volume reference work about genocide and other atrocities throughout world history. Edited by Dinah Shelton, it was published in 2005 by Macmillan Reference.

Contents

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Published in 2005 by Macmillan Reference and aimed at those with a high school or college level education, the Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes against Humanity was comprises three illustrated volumes spanning approximately 1500 pages[1] and with 354 entries,[2] each between 500 and 5000 words long.[3] The main body of the work is organized by alphabetically by topic.[1] It covers various genocides and atrocities throughout human history, biographies of influential figures, and also advertising, art, comics, dance, fiction, film, music, the photography of victims, poetry, and satire and humor as they relate to genocide,[4] especially when used as propaganda. Most topics dealt with are from the 19th and 20th centuries.[2] In the final volume is a filmography and selection of significant legal documents related to international law, including the Ad hoc international criminal tribunals, the Apartheid Convention, selections from the Geneva Conventions, the Genocide Convention, the Rome Statute, the United Nations Convention Against Torture,[5] and United States v. The Amistad.[1]

Reception

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Reviewers compared the Encyclopedia favorably to Israel Charny's Encyclopedia of Genocide,[4][1][2] and the Reference and User Services Quarterly described it as "far more comprehensive" than Encyclopedia of Modern Ethnic Conflicts, edited by Joseph R. Rudolph.[2] Steven K. Baum described it as "the most comprehensive and simple-to-use encyclopedia" on the topic, though felt that it was focused on the legal aspects of genocide, lacking in discussion on hate crimes and hate studies, and should have cited more experts in the field of Holocaust and genocide studies. He found the inclusion of topics such as the banality of evil, Infanticide, and Irving v Penguin Books Ltd "unexpected"[1] Adam Jones described it as an ""indespensible reference work" that "miss[ed] nothing of note", though was critical of the lack of coverage of Colombia, and editor's choice to include biographies on figures such as Alija Izetbegović, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and Nelson Mandela while omitting standalone biographies of people like Idi Amin, Lothar von Trotha, Kim Il Sung, and Suha. He also felt that that book lacked analysis on the relationship between various as aspects of economics, such as capitalism, communism, sanctions, and blockades, and genocide.[4]

The choice of contributors earnt the book praise from several reviewers;[1][4] Baum described it as reading a "Who's who of genocide scholarship".[1] The book's editing in particular was praised by Zev Garber, though Garber felt that it had not drawn a clear enough distinction between "active form[s] of prejudice" and "natural bias".[3]

Jones and Baum found some typographical and minor factual errors, though Baum noted that such errors were to be expected given the book's size and breadth of coverage.[4][1]

Authors

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The editor in chief was Dinah Shelton, and the associate editors were Howard Adelman, Frank Chalk, Alexandre Kiss [fr], and William A. Schabas. The volumes were written by over three hundred contributors:[6][5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Baum, Steven K. (2005). "Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity". Journal of Hate Studies (4): 151–152.
  2. ^ a b c d Moffitt, Sally (2005). "Review of Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity". Reference & User Services Quarterly. 44 (4): 339. ISSN 1094-9054. JSTOR 20864414.
  3. ^ a b Garber, Zev (2006). "Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity (review)". Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies. 24 (3): 176–178. doi:10.1353/sho.2006.0056. ISSN 1534-5165.
  4. ^ a b c d e Jones, Adam (2006). "A Seminal Reference Work on Genocide". Security Dialogue. 37 (1): 143–144. doi:10.1177/0967010606064141. ISSN 0967-0106. JSTOR 26299477.
  5. ^ a b "Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity". Miskolc Journal of International Law. 2 (2): 60–61. 2005.
  6. ^ Shelton, Dinah, ed. (2005). Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity. Vol. 1. Macmillan Reference. pp. xxv–xxxii.
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