Cultural Genocide; A "Conceptual History" Approach to a Wayward Concept
Author
Kirketerp, Christina Uldal
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2019
Submitted on
2019-06-02
Pages
76
Abstract
I 1944 introducerede den jødiske advokat Raphael Lemkin begrebet genocide (ofte oversat som folkedrab/massemord) ud fra sine egne erfaringer. Hans mål var at klassificere overgreb begået af besættelsesmagter, som set under de nazistiske besættelser i Anden Verdenskrig. Lemkin tænkte genocide som en overskyggende kategori med flere former for skade, herunder kulturel ødelæggelse. Han lagde særlig vægt på 'cultural genocide' (kulturelt massemord), som var blandt de tre former præsenteret ved Folkedrabskonventionen i 1948. Mange fandt dog 'cultural genocide' uklart og kritiserede begrebet, en debat der fortsatte ind i 1970’erne og frem. Efterhånden som de juridiske diskussioner ebbede ud, tog et andet fagområde begrebet op: Efter årtusindeskiftet begyndte sociologer at anvende det på historiske hændelser uden for Anden Verdenskrig, bl.a. med et australsk fokus. Dette speciale bruger begrebsteori (en metode til at følge, hvordan begreber bruges og ændrer betydning over tid) til kronologisk at kortlægge, hvordan betydningen og definitionen af 'cultural genocide' har udviklet sig, og til at drøfte, hvordan begrebet kan anvendes fremover. Målet er at skabe en klarere forståelse af, hvad 'cultural genocide' dækker over.
In 1944, the Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin introduced the term genocide, drawing on his own experiences. His aim was to classify abuses committed by occupying powers, as seen under Nazi rule during World War II. He originally conceived genocide as an umbrella category that included several kinds of harm, among them cultural destruction. Lemkin placed strong emphasis on 'cultural genocide', which was one of the three forms presented at the 1948 Genocide Convention. Many, however, found 'cultural genocide' unclear and criticized the concept, a debate that continued into the 1970s and beyond. As legal discussions faded, another field revived the idea: after the turn of the millennium, sociologists began applying it to historical events outside World War II, including with an Australian focus. This thesis uses concept theory (a method for tracing how concepts are used and change meaning over time) to chronologically map how the meaning and definition of 'cultural genocide' have evolved and to discuss how the concept might be used in the future. The goal is to build a clearer understanding of what 'cultural genocide' encompasses.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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