Lemkin on Genocide

Providing an annotated commentary on two unpublished manuscripts written by international law and genocide scholar Raphael Lemkin, Steven L. Jacobs offers a critical introduction to the father of genocide studies. Lemkin coined the term "genocide" and was the motivating force behind the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Punishment and Prevention of the Crime of Genocide. The materials collected here give readers further insight into this singularly courageous man and the issue which consumed him in the aftermath of the Second World War. It is a welcome addition to the library of genocide and Holocaust Studies scholars and students alike.

[In Lemkin on Genocide] we gain a new appreciation for the depth of Lemkin’s theoretical understanding and the breadth of his research. In addition, reading Jacob’s book provides us a richer sense of how Lemkin fit into the ideological currents of his time. In editing this work, Steve has done a great service to all those interested in genocide., Steven L. Jacobs’ edition of Raphael Lemkin’s seminal study of genocide is long overdue. This remarkable volume is the first systematic investigation of the crime that, until Lemkin, had no name. A must for all students of genocide, it explores the phenomenon from the Assyrian conquests in the ancient world to the German exploitation of colonial Africa. Jacobs’ highly informative introduction situates Lemkin’s research within the context of his life and work. The analytical annotations of Lemkin’s findings reflect Jacobs’ encyclopedic familiarity with the multi-disciplinary field. They provide helpful insights into the relation between the founder of the field of genocide studies and all who have followed him., Steven Leonard Jacobs has undertaken the mammoth task of annotating and reproducing Lemkin’s original text, a work requiring care, erudition, and extensive knowledge. He is to be commended for his effort and his initiative in rescuing Lemkin’s huge work and bringing it, after eight decades of oblivion, finally to fruition., Scholars and students alike will benefit from Steven Leonard Jacobs’ careful scholarly work elucidating obscure references, clarifying incomplete footnotes, and updating bibliographies in Raphael Lemkin’s History of Genocide. Jacobs’ Lemkin on Genocide will prove to be an indispensable reference for scholars and serious students of genocide., Steven Jacobs has rendered a valuable service to genocide scholars with the appearance of this book. Jacobs, himself a distinguished genocide scholar, makes accessible Raphael Lemkins’ previously unpublished Introduction to the Study of Genocide and three-part History of Genocide. Professor Jacobs’ Introduction and notes makes this an indispensable work. If Lemkin is the “Father of Genocide studies,” Steven Jacobs is one of his worthy intellectual sons.

Steven Leonard Jacobs is the Aaron Aronov Endowed Chair in Judaic Studies and associate professor at the University of Alabama.