The Massacre in History

by Mark Levene (Editor)

The role of massacre in history has been given little focused attention either by historians or academics in related fields. This is surprising as its prevalence and persistence surely demands that it should be a subject of serious and systematic exploration. What exactly is a massacre? When - and why - does it happen? Is there a cultural, as well as political framework within which it occurs? How do human societies respond to it? What are its social and economic repercussions? Are massacres catalysts for change or are they part of the continuity of the human saga? These are just some of the questions the authors address in this important volume. Chronologically and geographically broad in scope, The Massacre in History provides in-depth analysis of particular massacres and themes associated with them from the 11th century to the present. Specific attention is paid to 15th century Christian-Jewish relations in Spain, the St. Batholemew's Day massacre, England and Ireland in the civil war era, the 19th century Caucasus, the rape of Nanking in 1937 and the Second World War origins of the Serb-Croat conflict. The book explores the subject of massacre from a variety of perspectives - its relationship to politics, culture, religion and society, its connection to ethnic cleansing and genocide, and its role in gender terms and in relation to the extermination of animals. The historians provide evidence to suggest that the "massacre" is often central to the course of human development and societal change.

320 pages, Library Binding

First published July 1, 1999

About the author

Mark Levene is Reader in Comparative History at the University of Southampton, and in the Parkes Centre for Jewish:non-Jewish relations. His works include War, Jews and the New Europe (1992), which was awarded the annual Fraenkel Prize in Contemporary History, and The Massacre in History (1999) with Penny Roberts. He is also a peace and environmental activist, and co-founder of the Forum for the Study of Crisis in the 21st century.

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting in some places because of the analysis, in some for the information it gives, and in some for leads to further research. The point of the book is to evaluate what circumstances have led to massacres and what effect, if any, the massacres have had in the context of conflict.