Introduction by dr. James Sedgwick
Working as a team, students in my Winter 2018 Maple League telepresence class on Genocide & Justice curated and produced Volume 1 of an anthology of undergraduate research from previous course iterations. Each student was assigned distinct roles including conceptual director(s), author recruiter, academic reviewer(s), document collator, artistic/design coordinator, copy editor(s), citation manager, IT specialist, web developer, and indexer. The project furthered professional and scholarly development through collaborative and experiential learning. This website or online anthology represents the fruits of that labour. The project is built entirely on the work of students from three Maple League institutions (Acadia, Mount Allison, and St. Francis Xavier – no students from Bishops took the course) who collaborated intensely for an entire term. Small institutions like ours provide unique opportunities to engage undergraduate students in active research projects. It is what we do. The Maple League Reader offered (and offers) an enhanced opportunity to pursue the same pedagogy but on a much greater, more interactive, and ultimately even more fulfilling level. It was a project that could not have been done within a singular institution, at least not to the same effect.
This first volume of the Maple League Reader on Genocide & Justice sheds light on so-called ‘forgotten’ genocides or underacknowledged dimensions of mass violence. The students divided the collection into two classifications “Recognized” and “Un-Recognized” genocides. Of course, like many issues in the field of Genocide Studies, considerable slippage exists between these classifications. What is the tipping point that converts a particular set of atrocities to a “recognized genocide”? How “forgotten” are the “unrecognized genocides”? By whom? How intentionally? To what end? For how long? As a class, we explored different classifications. For instance, we initially planned to adopt Alex Hinton’s “Triad”, “Core”, “Second Circle”, “Periphery”, and “Forgotten” typology (see: Hinton, Alexander. "Critical Genocide Studies." Genocide Studies and Prevention 7, no. 1 (2012): 4-15). We also thought about a simple “Core” and “Other” construct, or an interrogative dyad “Genocide” and “Genocide?” In the end, the class decided that “Recognized” and “Un-Recognized” best fit the papers selected for inclusion. This is a student-driven project, their choice is considered and respected.
Regardless of typology, the collection of papers is strong and reflects a range of research in the field of genocide studies. Kyle McCulloch’s “Holodomor: The Forgotten Genocide” explores the Soviet forced famine of Ukraine in the 1930s. In “Bulgarian Horrors: Remembering the Turkish Atrocities against The Bulgarians during the April Uprising of 1876,” Victoria Lanthier exposes the long history of Ottoman mass violence. Jessica Long’s “The Dirty War and Argentina: Culture of Impunity and Feminicide” concentrates on the gendered dynamics of state repression. Philip Gnemmi and Charles Douglas turn attention to the various corporeal and cultural attacks on indigenous North Americans. Gnemmi’s “The Trail of Tears: An American Ethnic Cleansing” provides a heart wrenching account of displacement. Douglas’ “The Canadian Residential School System” explores identity erasure in the Canadian context. Regan Zscheile and Jenna Nowlan explore Holocaust origins and afterlife. In “Motivations and Justifications of the Jewish Holocaust,” Zscheile considers what turned regular people into committed genocidaires. In “Inheritance: The Intergenerational Effect of the Holocaust on the Second Generation,” Nowlan grapples with the long shadow of Nazi violence. Several papers delve into more recent or ongoing horrors. Patrick Gouthro’s “The Case of East Timor/Timor-Leste: Unfinished Truth, Unfinished Justice,” presents a meticulous account of atrocities in East Timor through the 1970s to the 1990s. Kira Awrey and Andrea Switzer, make a compelling plea for action against the slaughter of innocents in Darfur. Lacey Walkinshaw’s piece, “The Use of Child Soldiers in the Twenty-First Century”, provides a powerful coda to the anthology.
Finally, I would like to express deep personal appreciation for Ryan Whiston’s work as project manager/coordinator. Ryan volunteered for a somewhat thankless job – cajoling and organizing peers. During the course, he performed the role admirably. More impressive still, his commitment extended well beyond the term. Simply put: this website and anthology would not exist without Ryan. I am grateful for his diligent efforts.
This first volume of the Maple League Reader on Genocide & Justice sheds light on so-called ‘forgotten’ genocides or underacknowledged dimensions of mass violence. The students divided the collection into two classifications “Recognized” and “Un-Recognized” genocides. Of course, like many issues in the field of Genocide Studies, considerable slippage exists between these classifications. What is the tipping point that converts a particular set of atrocities to a “recognized genocide”? How “forgotten” are the “unrecognized genocides”? By whom? How intentionally? To what end? For how long? As a class, we explored different classifications. For instance, we initially planned to adopt Alex Hinton’s “Triad”, “Core”, “Second Circle”, “Periphery”, and “Forgotten” typology (see: Hinton, Alexander. "Critical Genocide Studies." Genocide Studies and Prevention 7, no. 1 (2012): 4-15). We also thought about a simple “Core” and “Other” construct, or an interrogative dyad “Genocide” and “Genocide?” In the end, the class decided that “Recognized” and “Un-Recognized” best fit the papers selected for inclusion. This is a student-driven project, their choice is considered and respected.
Regardless of typology, the collection of papers is strong and reflects a range of research in the field of genocide studies. Kyle McCulloch’s “Holodomor: The Forgotten Genocide” explores the Soviet forced famine of Ukraine in the 1930s. In “Bulgarian Horrors: Remembering the Turkish Atrocities against The Bulgarians during the April Uprising of 1876,” Victoria Lanthier exposes the long history of Ottoman mass violence. Jessica Long’s “The Dirty War and Argentina: Culture of Impunity and Feminicide” concentrates on the gendered dynamics of state repression. Philip Gnemmi and Charles Douglas turn attention to the various corporeal and cultural attacks on indigenous North Americans. Gnemmi’s “The Trail of Tears: An American Ethnic Cleansing” provides a heart wrenching account of displacement. Douglas’ “The Canadian Residential School System” explores identity erasure in the Canadian context. Regan Zscheile and Jenna Nowlan explore Holocaust origins and afterlife. In “Motivations and Justifications of the Jewish Holocaust,” Zscheile considers what turned regular people into committed genocidaires. In “Inheritance: The Intergenerational Effect of the Holocaust on the Second Generation,” Nowlan grapples with the long shadow of Nazi violence. Several papers delve into more recent or ongoing horrors. Patrick Gouthro’s “The Case of East Timor/Timor-Leste: Unfinished Truth, Unfinished Justice,” presents a meticulous account of atrocities in East Timor through the 1970s to the 1990s. Kira Awrey and Andrea Switzer, make a compelling plea for action against the slaughter of innocents in Darfur. Lacey Walkinshaw’s piece, “The Use of Child Soldiers in the Twenty-First Century”, provides a powerful coda to the anthology.
Finally, I would like to express deep personal appreciation for Ryan Whiston’s work as project manager/coordinator. Ryan volunteered for a somewhat thankless job – cajoling and organizing peers. During the course, he performed the role admirably. More impressive still, his commitment extended well beyond the term. Simply put: this website and anthology would not exist without Ryan. I am grateful for his diligent efforts.