A nation destroyed: an existential approach to the distinctive harm of genocide

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    In this article, I present a critique of existing approaches to the distinctive harm of genocide and offer an alternative approach. I draw on Hannah Arendt’s unique conception of genocide, to suggest an ‘existential’ account of the harm of genocide. For Arendt, the distinctive loss in genocide was not a moral loss, strictly speaking, but rather an existential loss to humanity. By destroying a nation in whole or in part, genocide robs us of a variety of possible ways of experiencing and understanding the world. This approach, I argue, is original and valuable, and merits further consideration by anyone who is interested in the problem of genocide.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)112-132
    Number of pages21
    JournalJournal of Genocide Research
    Volume19
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 2 Jan 2017

    Bibliographical note

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Sociology and Political Science
    • Law
    • History
    • Political Science and International Relations

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