International Association of Genocide Scholars
The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) is an international
The association has passed formal resolutions recognizing the Armenian genocide,
The official
History
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The origins of the IAGS go back to the early 1980s. At this time, a small group of scholars and teachers were using a comparative framework to study genocide. Leo Kuper published his seminal book Genocide[14] in 1980 and Helen Fein published Accounting for Genocide[15] in 1979.
Israel Charny organized the first conference on the comparative analysis of genocide in Jerusalem in 1982. The Institute for the Study of Genocide was founded in New York in 1982 by Helen Fein. Gregory Stanton founded The Cambodian Genocide Project in 1982 to bring Khmer Rouge leaders to justice. It became part of Genocide Watch in 1999.
These early genocide scholars, a number of whom began with study of the Holocaust, were attacked by other scholars who insisted on the "
The pioneers in genocide studies also confronted institutional pressures. For example, it was a challenge to get platforms in traditional conferences such as the American Historical Association, the International Studies Association, the American Sociological Association, etc.
Traditional academic disciplines did not find room for the interdisciplinary nature of genocide studies, so universities seldom had faculty positions for genocide scholars.
However, what had been a marginalized area of study became one of urgent interest and scholarship as a response to the genocides in
The Association of Genocide Scholars
The idea for an organization of genocide scholars grew out of a meeting between Israel Charny, Helen Fein,
The Association of Genocide Scholars (AGS) was established in 1994. During this initial period, the AGS shared a website and affiliation with the Institute for the Study of Genocide.
The organization's first conference was held in 1995 at the
Subsequent biennial conferences were held at
With the rapid growth and global interest in genocide studies, a number of scholars pushed for a more international perspective and argued that conferences should be held outside North America. The organization revised its by-laws in 2001 and was renamed the International Association of Genocide Scholars. The revised bylaws provided that at least one officer be from outside North America, and that biennial conferences regularly be held outside North America.
The International Association of Genocide Scholars
The IAGS conference at the
In 2005, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, hosted the IAGS conference. Israel Charny was elected president.
In 2006, the IAGS, in partnership with the Zoryan Institute, an Armenian organization in Toronto, Canada, began publication of Genocide Studies and Prevention. It became an on-line publication, free to all, in 2012. At that time, the Zoryan Institute withdrew its co-sponsorship of the IAGS Journal in favor of publishing its own journal.
In 2007, Gregory Stanton became President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars. Stanton incorporated the IAGS and obtained its non-profit status. The IAGS launched the organization's listserv and website and revised its bylaws. Its financial practices were reformed.
The 2007 IAGS biennial conference was held in
The 2009 IAGS conference was held at George Mason University, Virginia, US.
The association held its first conference in South America in 2011 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It included over 300 participants, a significant number of whom were from Argentina and other Latin American countries.
The 2013 IAGS conference was held in Siena, Italy.
In 2014 the IAGS held a mid-term conference at the University of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was the first conference to focus on the genocide of Aboriginal Americans. It included sessions with these First Peoples on their own land.
The 2015 IAGS Biennial Meeting held in Yerevan, Armenia, focused on the Armenian genocide.
The 2017 conference in
The 2019 IAGS conference was held in Cambodia. It focused on the Cambodian genocide and other Asian genocides and included significant participation from Cambodians. It was the first IAGS conference held in Asia.
The 2021 IAGS conference was held virtually due to the
The 2023 IAGS conference was scheduled to be held in person and virtually at the University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.[citation needed]
Presidents
The following persons are or have been president of the association::
- Melanie O'Brien (2021 - present)
- Henry Theriault (2017–2021)
- Andrew Woolford (2015–2017)
- Daniel Feierstein (2013–2015)
- Alexander Hinton(2011–2013)
- William Schabas (2009–2011)
- Gregory H. Stanton(2007–2009)
- Israel W. Charny(2005–2007)
- Robert Melson (2003–2005)
- Joyce Apsel (2001–2003)
- Frank Chalk (1999–2001)
- Roger W. Smith (1997–1999)
- Helen Fein (1995–1997)
Notable people
See also
- Outline of Genocide studies
References
- ^ "IAGS". Homepage. International Association of Genocide Scholars: History. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-19-533402-9.
- ISBN 978-0-415-95358-0.
- ISBN 978-1-61735-572-1.
- ISBN 978-0-313-38679-4.
- ISBN 978-1-59884-488-7.
- ISBN 978-1-60781-187-9.
- ISBN 978-0-415-43061-6.
- ^ "International Association of Genocide Scholars" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 27, 2008.
- ^ "Resolution to Declare that Massacres and Persecution of Iraqi Kurds were Crimes of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity" (PDF). International Association of Genocide Scholars. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ Isenberg, Alexandra Suhner (2020-10-26). "Resolutions". International Association of Genocide Scholars. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
- ^ "Resolutions" (PDF). International Association of Genocide Scholars.
- ^ "IAGS Journal". Homepage. International Association of Genocide Scholars. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- OCLC 7925237.
- ISBN 0-226-24034-7.
- ^ [1] Radio Slobodna Evropa / Radio Free Europe interview with Žužana Serenčeš, accessed 28 November 2010