CFP: Resisting the Path to Genocide: Groups

The interdisciplinary research cluster “Resisting the Path to Genocide” at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, addresses the fundamental question of what enables people to oppose or resist racist ideologies, state discrimination practices, or the active participation in mass atrocities in three steps, focusing consecutively on societies, groups, and individuals.

For the second of three international workshops, which will take place at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles on September 6-8th, 2012, we now seek applications from scholars of any discipline for papers about the general question of what enables groups of people to resist genocide or other forms of mass violence?

We invite papers which address the following research questions: How do oppositional groups form?  Which social, cultural and political conditions support the development of group opposition and resistance? What kind of groups, whether informal networks, private organizations or public institutions, are most likely to resist discrimination and violence in genocidal societies? How do we classify groups of resisters? What oppositional strategies have proven to be most effective at the group level?  Do group activities have an impact, and can they help stop the violent radicalization of a genocidal society?

We appreciate case studies (ranging from colonial genocides of the 19th century to more contemporary examples as Guatemala and Rwanda) as well as comparative work on groups within one genocidal state, on one kind of resisting group in various societies, and also on group resistance in countries that did not turn genocidal, such as South Africa.

Since the aim of the cluster is to enhance our understanding how to resist genocidal processes, we also seek contributions that will discuss group opposition and resistance in a theoretical way, drawing on resources from disciplines such as psychology, sociology, history, philosophy, anthropology, etc.

The University of Southern California provides unique research resources: the Shoah Foundation Institute Archive with more than 52,000 interviews on the Holocaust as well as on other genocides, The Lion Feuchtwanger collection and a new Holocaust and Genocide studies collection.

Please send a CV and a one-page abstract of the proposed paper before January 15th 2012 to [email protected]