Abstract
Though scholars devoted to the discipline of criminology purport to be theoretically and pragmatically exhaustive with respect to their research on ``crime,'' the study of genocide, an offense prohibited by international criminal law, has been virtually ignored. Nevertheless, the obligation to research genocidal behavior seems critical because of the comprehensive and threatening nature of the offense. Clearly, the consequences of genocide are more ominous than any single violation of domestic statutory law. Presentations at two annual criminal justice conferences and papers published in 13 prestigious periodicals devoted to the discipline of criminology are examined between 1990 and 1998. Content analyses demonstrate the reluctance of the discipline of criminology to identify the crime of genocide as one worthy of scholarly attention. These findings and the future of the discipline of criminology are assessed in light of the unequivocal danger posed by genocidal behavior.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alvarez, A., Genocide, the State, and the Myth of History, Paper Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology (Washington, DC: 1998).
Alvarez, A., States of Destruction: Governments, Genocide, and the Criminological Imagination, Paper Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology (San Diego, CA: 1997).
Alvarez, A., Neutralization Theory and Genocide: New Applications for an Old Theory, Paper Presented at the Annual Meetings of Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (Boston, MA: 1995). aiBarlow, M.H., D.E. Barlow and T.G. Chiricos, “Economic Condition and Ideologies of Crime in the Media: A Content Analysis of Crime News,” Crime and Delinquency 1995 (41), 3-19.
Bassiouni, C., “The Commission of Experts Established Pursuant to Security Council Resolution 780: Investigating Violations of International Humanitarian Law in the Former Yugoslavia,” in R. Clark and M. Sann (eds.), The Prosecution of International Crimes (Camden, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 1996).
Beccaria, C., On Crimes and Punishments (translated by Henry Paolucci) (Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc, 1981).
Becker, E., When The War Was Over (New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1986).
Bekker, P., “The International Tribunal for Violations of International Humanitarian Law in the Former Yugoslavia,” American Journal of International Law 1993 (87), 639-668.
Chalk, F. and K. Jonassohn, The History and Sociology of Genocide (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1990).
Cohn, E.G. and D.P. Farrington, “Assessing the Quality of American Doctoral Program Faculty in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 1991-1995,” Justice Quarterly 1998 (9), 187-210.
Cohn, E.G. and D.P. Farrington, “Who Are the Most-Cited Scholars in Major American Criminology and Criminal Justice Journals?,” Journal of Criminal Justice 1994 (22), 517-534.
Day, L.E., Testing Genocide Theories: Methods and Concepts, Paper Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology (Washington, DC: 1998).
Day, L.E. and M. Vandiver, Internet Resources for Research in International Law and Genocide, Table Session at the Annual Meetings of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (Albuquerque, NM: 1998).
Destexhe, A., Rwanda and Genocide in the Twentieth Century (New York, NY: New York University Press, 1995).
Friedrichs, D., Trusted Criminals (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1996).
Heath, L., “Impact of Newspaper Crime Reports on Fear of Crime: Multi-Methodological Examination,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1984 (47), 263-276.
Holsti, O.R., Content Analysis for the Social Sciences and Humanities (Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1969).
Huckabee, R., Human Rights, Ethnic Cleansing, and the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Past, Present, and Prospects for the Future, Paper Presented at the Annual Meetings of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (Albuquerque, NM: 1998).
Humphries, D., “Serious Crime, News Coverage, and Ideology,” Crime and Delinquency 1981 (27), 191-205.
Kiernan, B., “The Cambodian Genocide: Issues and Responses,” in G.J. Andreopoulos (ed.), Genocide: Conceptual and Historical Dimensions (Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1994).
Kutnjak-Ivkovich, S.,Will Justice Be Served: Opinions of the Displaced Persons and Refugees on the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, Paper Presented at the Annual Meetings of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (Albuquerque, NM: 1998).
Kuper, L., Genocide: Its Political Use in the Twentieth Century (New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1981).
Kuper, L., The Pity of It All: Polarisation of Racial and Ethnic Relations (London: Duckworth, 1977).
Lemkin, R., Axis Rule in Occupied Europe (Washington DC: Carnegie Endowment of International Peace, 1944).
Lewy, G., America in Vietnam (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1978).
Martin, J. and A. Roman, Is Organized Macro-Violence in Bosnia and Other Nation-States a Research Subject for Today's Criminology?, Paper Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology (Phoenix, AZ: 1993).
O'Malley, P., Gentle Genocide: State Policies and the Government of Desert Aborigines in Central Australia, Paper Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology (Phoenix, AZ: 1993).
Plestina, D., Yugoslavia: The Slide to Chaos, Paper Presented at the Annual Meetings of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (Albuquerque, NM: 1998).
Prunier, G., The Rwanda Crisis: History of a Genocide (New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1995).
Sartre, J.P., On Genocide (Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 1968).
Taylor, R., Research Methods in Criminal Justice (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1994).
Tunnell, K., “Political Crime and Pedagogy: A Content Analysis of Criminology and Justice Texts,” Journal of Criminal Justice Education 1993 (4:1), 101-114.
Vandiver, M., The Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda: An Update on the Courts and Their Cases, Paper Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology (Washington, DC: 1998).
Vandiver, M., Life After Genocide: The Struggle of Bosnian Survivors, Paper Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology (Chicago, IL: 1996).
Vandiver, M. and L.E. Day, What Do We Really Know About Genocide? Testing Theories Against Current Examples, Paper Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology (San Diego, CA: 1997).
Vandiver, M. and L.E. Day., Law Without Power: The War Crimes Tribunal and Justice in the Former Yugoslavia, Paper Presented at the Annual Meetings of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (Las Vegas, NV: 1996).
Vandiver, M. and L.E. Day, Genocide in the 1990's: Rwanda, ex-Yugoslavia and the World's Response, Paper Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology (Boston, MA: 1995).
Webb, R.P., D.T. Campbell, R.D. Schwartz, L. Sechrest and J.B. Grove, Nonreactive Measures in the Social Sciences (Chicago, IL: McNally, 1966).
Welch, M., M. Fenwick and M. Roberts, “State Managers, Intellectuals, and the Media: A Content Analysis of Ideology in Experts' Quotes in Feature Newspaper Articles on Crime,” Justice Quarterly 1998 (15), 219-242.
Welch, M., M. Fenwick and M. Roberts, “Primary Definitions of Crime and Moral Panic: A Content Analysis of Experts' Quotes in Feature Newspaper Articles on Crime,” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 1997 (34:4), 474-494.
White, R.A. and D.O. Friedrichs, “White Collar Crime in the Criminal Justice Curriculum,” Journal of Criminal Justice Education 1991 (2), 96-121.
Woodrum, E., “ 'Mainstreaming' Content Analysis in the Social Sciences: Methodological Advantages, Obstacles, and Solutions,” Social Science Research 1984 (13), 119.
Yacoubian, G., “Countdown to a Permanent International Criminal Court: Toward A Rapprochement of the Cambodian Genocide,” Journal for the Study of Peace and Conflict 1998b (1), 4-13.
Yacoubian, G., The (In)significance of Genocidal Behavior to the Discipline of Criminology, Paper Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology (Washington, DC: 1998a).
Yacoubian, G., “Underestimating the Magnitude of International Crime: Implications of Genocidal Behavior for the Discipline of Criminology,” Injustice Studies 1997 (1:1). Internet Availability: http: //wolf.its.ilstu.edu/injustice/.
Yacoubian, G., The Evolution of International Crime and International Law: Genocide in Burundi, Paper Presented at the AnnualMeetings of the American Society of Criminology (Chicago, IL: 1996).
Yacoubian, G., A Theoretical Perspective on the Armenian Tragedy, Paper Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology (Boston, MA: 1995).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yacoubian, G.S. The (in)significance of genocidal behavior to the discipline of criminology. Crime, Law and Social Change 34, 7–19 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008312732333
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008312732333