ISBN: 978-1-49622-510-8

Magnus Fiskesjö

Cornell University

Read more about this book at www.nebraskapress.unl.edu

This book is an important contribution to the literature on the scourge of genocide denialism, which hides the historical truth of what happened, perpetuates the suffering, and warps minds on the side of the denialist perpetrators. Three chapters address the Armenian genocide. One deals with decades of protracted silence and silencing inside Turkey itself. The other two deal with the denialism that has blocked the recognition of the Armenian genocide, in the US and Israel, respectively. Then there is one solid chapter each on the denial of other genocides: American Indians in the United States, the Nazi Holocaust, Cambodia, Guatemala, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Syria. Each is built on substantial research. The same is true of the incisive introduction, and the epilogue about the nature of denial and its relation to reality: Denial may serve as self-protection, but itself becomes an accessory to the monstruous acts of genocide. Despite the title, the book does not cover all major cases of genocide denialism in our century. The editor explains that the book deals with ‘some of the major genocides’, but several major ones have been left out, including Stalin's Holodomor in Ukraine, today denied by Russia almost as strenuously as Turkey insists on denying the Ottoman atrocities against the Armenians. Also, the Rohingya genocide, now on trial in the Hague and China's massive Uyghur genocide. The latter is not on trial yet — largely due to China's formidable, well-financed global campaign to deny, cover up, silence, and buy more silence. Future scholars examining the how and why of these appalling 21st century genocide denialisms will benefit greatly from the studies set out in this thoughtful volume.