Genocide, War, and Human Survival

(Paperback)

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From the tragic workings of the Holocaust and Hiroshima to contemporary examples of genocide in Bosnia and Rwanda, this collection of original essays examines the enduring impact of such cataclysmic events on the modern human psyche. Inspired by the career of Robert Jay Lifton, the distinguished contributors to this volume acknowledge Lifton's profound influence on the study of our ability to survive and overcome catastrophic circumstances. Using a wide range of disciplinary and methodological approaches, "Genocide, War and Human Survival" probes society, culture and politics in the nuclear age and explores the therapeutic value of artistic expression to witnesses and survivors of mass violence. The essays convey a message of hope by displaying the remarkable diversity of human response to extreme adversity and by concluding that intellectuals and professionals have an abiding obligation to act responsibly in a world of violence and to provide healing images of transformation.

Reviews

A major contribution to our understanding of the catastrophic events that have traumatized this most violent of centuries, from Hiroshima and the Holocaust to the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and mass killing in Rwanda. * Stanley Kunitz *
Indispensable reading for those who feel there are no dragons left that need slaying. -- Bogdan Denitch, Director, Institute on Transition to Democracy, and Resident Professor of Sociology, City University of New York Graduate School
Each of these essays addresses problems of great moral and political significance... this collection will be most helpful to politicians, diplomats, military theorists, and journalists who must struggle toward new understandings of the dynamics of mass violence and war. -- Rolf Ekeus, Executive Chairman, United Nations Special Commission DIS .40
While most of the essays are brief recapitulations of articles and books that have previously appeared, this might be the strength of the volume, making it perfect for classroom adoption. Many of its essays will undoubtedly provoke heated discussion. * Choice Reviews *

Author Bio

Charles B. Strozier is Professor of History at John Jay College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, where he is also co-director of the Center on Violence and Human Survival.Michael Flynn is lecturer of psychology at York College, the City University of New York, and associate director of the Center on Violence and Human Survival.