Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity | Biographies

Of all the individuals who have either participated in or been the victims of genocide, the majority of those who are the subject of biography have come from three relatively small and discrete groups: the perpetrators in the highest echelons of political and/or military power; victims (mostly survivors) who have distinguished themselves through their literary works; and the liberators, those who risked their lives to save or aid victims. Unsurprisingly, biographies emanating from each of these groups have been significantly different in tone as well as purpose.

The biographies of perpetrators have drawn the most attention from both scholars and the reading public. These works not only chart the rise to power and prominence of their relatively well-known subjects, they also invariably seek to explain the environmental, psychological, political, and ideological forces that motivated these infamous individuals to plan and organize...