Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2023 -

In writing this book, Robben (emer., Utrecht University, the Netherlands) and Hinton (Rutgers Univ.; UNESCO Chair in Genocide Prevention) provide a comprehensive and original contribution to the scholarly research on perpetrators of mass violence. Relying on a wide range of case studies from Cambodia to Argentina and Germany, the authors discuss the varied roles and division of labor that emerge among perpetrators. They reject the stereotype that holds that there is a single kind of perpetrator and instead discuss how perpetrators can be better understood in terms of their various roles, such as architects, organizers, and facilitators. Robben and Hinton argue that perpetrators can also be understood in terms of their proximity to would-be victims. Like a layer cake, the distinctions that they draw among perpetrators result in different levels of responsibilities. The case studies that are covered here provide supporting evidence to illustrate the distinctive roles that perpetrators assume. This is a must-read book.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals.