NCJ Number
244994
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 53 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2013 Pages: 1017-1032
Date Published
November 2013
Length
16 pages
Annotation
In this paper, the authors bring together various strands of criminological thought by examining genocide films as a form of public criminology that is engaged in the work of memory and commemoration.
Abstract
One cannot understand or remember the genocides of the past in any direct manner. Their inaccessibility impedes us from working toward complex understandings of these events and adequate ways of responding to them. In this paper, the authors bring together various strands of criminological thought by examining genocide films as a form of public criminology that is engaged in the work of memory and commemoration. The authors identify a specific set of genocide films that, they argue, not only constitute a key (if hitherto unrecognized) branch of visual and public criminology, but also create and transmit collective memories of the 'crime of crimes', provoking public understandings of atrocity and meaningful social and political responses. These films direct one towards representational strategies and interdisciplinary perspectives that advance ones theoretical and empirical understanding of genocide. Attention to such efforts not only underscores the work of images in shaping criminological discourse, but also makes for a betterbecause more deeply informedcriminology of genocide. (Published Abstract)