On Situating the Study of Genocide within Political Violence¹

Abstract

This article identifies a particular challenge for comparative genocide studies, namely the underemphasis of investigation into the relationship between genocide and other forms of political violence and the ways in which they are related temporally and spatially. It advocates situating genocide studies within the broader domain of political violence research to explain not only the causes of genocide but general variation in violent outcomes. By systematically comparing genocides to nongenocides, we gain greater insights into the factors that result in large-scale, group-oriented destruction. The article also calls for greater disaggregation of analytical frameworks in comparative research, including the adoption of microanalytical perspectives to explain variation in the onset, dynamics, and abeyance of violence within cases.