Alan S. Rosenbaum - Is the Holocaust Unique [2009][A]

Book Description
Publication Date: December 30, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0813344069 | ISBN-13: 978-0813344065 | Edition: 3rd
In essays written specifically for this volume, distinguished contributors assess highly charged and fundamental questions about the Holocaust: Is it unique? How can it be compared with other instances of genocide? What constitutes genocide, and how should the international community respond? On one side of the dispute are those who fear that if the Holocaust is seen as the worst case of genocide ever, its character will diminish the sufferings of other persecuted groups. On the other side are those who argue that unless the Holocaust’s uniqueness is established, the inevitable tendency will be to diminish its abiding significance.
The editor’s introductions provide the contextual considerations for understanding this multidimensional dispute and suggest that there are universal lessons to be learned from studying the Holocaust. The third edition brings this volume up to date and includes new readings on the Cambodian and Rwandan genocides, common themes in genocide ideologies, and Iran’s reaction to the Holocaust. In a world where genocide persists and the global community continues to struggle with the implications of international crime, prosecution, justice, atonement, reparation, and healing, the issues addressed in this book are as relevant as ever.

Reviews
“Is the Holocaust Unique? is firmly established as a classic of Holocaust and genocide studies. This third edition, with its wealth of new essays and insights, is the richest and most provocative yet.”
—Adam Jones, University of British Columbia Okanagan, author of Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction

“Professor Rosenbaum has masterfully edited a landmark in this comprehensive, well-balanced, and compassionate study of the most systematic attempt at annihilating an entire race in the history of humankind. Seen in light of a current trend toward justice violations—from torture and extraordinary rendition to ‘preemptive’ war—the chapters of this volume may be potent reminders of just how violable the line is between sanity and savagery.”
—Elliot D. Cohen, Ph.D., Editor, International Journal of Applied Philosophy

“With no dearth of ongoing challenges to human rights around the world, including the continued conflicts in Africa and renewed attention on global legal issues such as war crimes and crimes against humanity, the general theme of the book is as timely as ever. … This volume is intended to provide food for thought and provoke ongoing inquiry into questions of comparative genocide. It surely does.”
—Cleveland Jewish News

From the Publisher
Evaluating the Jewish Holocaust is by no means a simple matter, and one of the most controversial questions for academics is whether there have been any historical parallels for it. Have Armenians, Gypsies, American Indians, or others undergone a comparable genocide? In this fiercely controversial volume, distinguished scholars offer new discussions of this question. Presenting a wide range of strongly held views, they provide no easy consensus.
Some critics contend that if the Holocaust is seen as fundamentally different in kind from other genocides or mass deaths, the suffering of other persecuted groups will be diminished. Others argue that denying the uniqueness of the Holocaust will trivialize it. Alan Rosenbaum's introduction provides a much needed context for readers to come to terms with this multidimensional dispute, to help them understand why it has recently intensified, and to enable them to appreciate what universal lessons might be gleaned from studying the Holocaust.
This volume makes an important contribution to our comprehension of one of the defining events of modern history. It should be essential reading for scholars, students, and general readers interested in the Holocaust and its relationship to other instances of politically inspired mass murder. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author
Alan S. Rosenbaum is professor of philosophy at Cleveland State University and the author of Prosecuting Nazi War Criminals; The Philosophy of Human Rights; Coercion and Autonomy; and Constitutionalism: The Philosophical Dimension. His many articles have appeared in professional publications such as The Encyclopedia of Genocide; The National Law Journal; The International Journal of Applied Philosophy; The Genocidal Mind; and The Journal of Social Philosophy.