Warning Signs of Genocide

The book Warning Signs of Genocide: An Anthropological Perspective is a major contribution to addressing one of the crucial problems of humanity in our times—how to prevent genocide. Based on years of traveling and close knowledge of persons whose lives have been altered forever by the horrors of genocide, they propose the warning signs that give humanity—if it so wills—the possibility to know about genocide before it happens, and perhaps to prevent it. The authors use an original public health approach (what might be called epidemiology of genocide). They suggest a predictive model of genocide and offer strategies for prevention, that can help humanity eliminate the deadly seeds of genocide before the soil is poisoned. -- Yair Auron, PhD, The Open University of Israel
Anderson (emer., Univ. of California, Riverside) and Anderson (Frontier Nursing School) have produced a thought-provoking study of the causes of genocide, employing methodologies from anthropology and public health to make their case. The authors are clear that they have not penned a complete review of genocide studies, nor are they intending "to just speak to genocide scholars." Rather, they offer "a new explanation ... an epidemiology of genocide." Using both recent and historical examples, they explore indirect and direct causes of genocide, providing readers with a robust perspective on causative factors that give rise to instances of genocide. The Andersons also identify "good seeds," factors that might reduce the risk of future genocides: accountable governance is one such good seed they cite. The book, which includes useful appendixes and a comparison of past genocides, could have benefited from a more thorough explication of the methods they employed, but overall, this is a solid contribution that speaks to audiences beyond genocide scholars. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates, graduate students, and professionals/practitioners. * CHOICE *