OUVRAGE : A. Smeulers, M. Weerdesteijn, B. Holá (eds.), Perpetrators of International Crimes: Theories, Methods, and Evidence

Alette SMEULERS, Maartje WEERDESTEIJN, Barbora HOLÁ

Why would anyone commit a mass atrocity such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, or terrorism? This question is at the core of the multi- and interdisciplinary field of perpetrator studies, a developing field which this book assesses in its full breadth for the first time.

Perpetrators of International Crimes analyses the most prominent theories, methods, and evidence to determine what we know, what we think we know, as well as the ethical implications of gathering this knowledge. It traces the development of perpetrator studies whilst pushing the boundaries of this emerging field. The book includes contributions from experts from a wide array of disciplines, including criminology, history, law, sociology, psychology, political science, religious studies, and anthropology. They cover numerous case studies, including prominent ones such as Nazi Germany, Rwanda, and the former Yugoslavia, but also those that are relatively under researched and more recent, such as Sri Lanka and the Islamic State. These have been investigated through various research methods, including but not limited to, trial observations and interviews.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Benjamin B. Ferencz, Preface
Alette Smeulers, Barbora Holá, and Maartje Weerdesteijn, Introduction

Part I. PERPETRATOR STUDIES

1. Alette Smeulers, Historical Overview of Perpetrator Studies
2. Alette Smeulers, Barbora Holá, Maartje Weerdesteijn, Theories, Methods, and Evidence

Part II. REFLECTING ON METHODS AND SOURCES

3. Chandra Lekha Sriram, Perpetrators, Fieldwork, and Ethical Concerns
4. Mina Rauschenbach, Interviewing Perpetrators against the Backdrop of Ethical Concerns and Reflexivity
5. Thijs B. Bouwknegt, Adina-Loredana Nistor, Studying ‘Perpetrators’ through the Lens of the Criminal Trial

Part III. STUDYING PERPETRATION

6. Uğur Ümit Üngör, Perpetration as a Process
7. Kjell Anderson, The Margins of Perpetration Role-Shifting in Genocide
8. Erin Jessee, Beyond Perpetrators

Part IV. STUDYING PERPETRATORS: CASE STUDIES

9. Jonathan Leader Maynard, Studying Perpetrator Ideologies in Atrocity Crimes
10. Pieter Nanninga, Religion and International Crimes
11. Georg Frerks, The Female Tigers of Sri Lanka
12. Maartje Weerdesteijn, The Rationality and Reign of Paul Kagame

Part V. STUDYING PERPETRATORS ON TRIAL: CASE STUDIES

13. Caroline Fournet, Nothing Must Remain
14. Iva Vukušić, Plausible Deniability
15. Mirza Buljubašić, Barbora Holá, Perpetrators on Trial
16. Susanne Karstedt, ‘Like Mirrors of Morality’

Alette Smeulers, Concluding Thoughts

Bibliography
Index

Alette SMEULERS, Maartje WEERDESTEIJN, Barbora HOLÁ (eds.), Perpetrators of International Crimes: Theories, Methods, and Evidence, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2019 (416 pp.)