Is the Holocaust Unique?: Perspectives on Comparative Genocide

384 Pages·2008·1.41 MB·English

by  Alan S Rosenbaum

Praise for Previous Editions
“This book has stirred up a hornet’s nest.”
—The Times Literary Supplement
“An important book. ...This is definitely a book to promote thought,
discussion, and debate. It should be purchased by all libraries and used
not only by students of the Holocaust but by historians, philosophers,
theologians, and political scientists.”
—History
“A thought-provoking inquiry into the Holocaust.”
—Jewish Book World
“The collection will be of particular interest to teachers who attempt to
place in perspective such events as those in Bosnia, Somalia, Rwanda, and
Cambodia in light of this history of genocide.”
—Choice
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Is the Holocaust Unique?
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third edition
Is the Holocaust
Unique?
(cid:2)
PERSPECTIVES ON
COMPARATIVE GENOCIDE
Edited and with an Introduction by
Alan S. Rosenbaum
with a Foreword by
Israel W. Charny
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
Copyright © 2009 by Westview Press
Published by Westview Press,
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be repro-
duced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, address Westview Press, 2465 Central
Avenue, Boulder, CO 80301.
Find us on the World Wide Web at www.westviewpress.com.
Every effort has been made to secure required permissions to use all images, maps, and other art
included in this volume.
Westview Press books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the United States by
corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the
Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200,
Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call [phone], ext. 5000, or e-mail special.markets@perseus
books.com.
Cataloging-in-Publication Data for this book are available from the Library of Congress
ISBN-13: 978-0-8133-4406-5
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
I dedicate this volume to my wife, Pamela Sue;
to my children Emily, Jascha, Libby, and Alexandra;
and to my grandchildren Rebecca, Sophie, and Julian;
and
to the younger generations who are inheriting
a world not of their design but one
summoning their most courageous impulses against
the rising tides of intolerance, hatred,
and attempts at genocide.
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for
good men to do nothing.
Attributed to Edmund Burke (1729–1797)
Contents
Foreword, Israel W. Charny ix
Preface xvii
Acknowledgments xix
Introduction to the First Edition, Alan S. Rosenbaum 1
Introduction to the Second Edition, Alan S. Rosenbaum 11
Introduction to the Third Edition, Alan S. Rosenbaum 21
1 The Ethics of Uniqueness, John K. Roth 27
2 Religion and the Uniqueness of the Holocaust,
Richard L. Rubenstein 39
3 From the Holocaust: Some Legal and Moral Implications,
Richard J. Goldstone 47
4 The Uniqueness of the Holocaust:
The Historical Dimension, Steven T. Katz 55
5 Responses to the Porrajmos: The Romani Holocaust,
Ian Hancock 75
6 The Atlantic Slave Trade and the Holocaust: A Comparative
Analysis, Seymour Drescher 103
7 The Armenian Genocide as Precursor and
Prototype of Twentieth-Century Genocide, Robert F. Melson 125
8 The Comparative Aspects of the Armenian and
Jewish Cases of Genocide: A Sociohistorical Perspective,
Vahakn N. Dadrian 139
vii