{"id":2218,"date":"2018-10-15T08:00:01","date_gmt":"2018-10-15T13:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/?p=2218"},"modified":"2018-10-12T14:43:06","modified_gmt":"2018-10-12T19:43:06","slug":"defining-genocide-and-the-power-of-labels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2018\/10\/15\/defining-genocide-and-the-power-of-labels\/","title":{"rendered":"Defining \u201cGenocide\u201d and The Power of Labels"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by PictureCapital, Flickr CC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

People invent words and definitions to help navigate the world around them. Once created, such labels can have monumental impacts. The word \u201cgenocide\u201d is one example of a term that holds meaning for victims, perpetrators, and those who watch violence unfold. Over the past few years, debates have raged as to whether or not to call the <\/span>Burmese state\u2019s violence<\/span><\/a> against the Rohingya \u201c<\/span>genocide<\/span><\/a>.\u201d Such debates often privilege the <\/span>label<\/span><\/a>, rather than focusing on the everyday violence experienced by civilians. Sociologists seek to understand the meaning, use, and consequences of labels like genocide. <\/span><\/p>\n

Individuals and groups use institutions to construct consensus about labels. But people use terms in different ways, and labels often change in meaning over time. The term \u201cgenocide\u201d was first coined by a lawyer, Raphael Lemkin, in the aftermath of the Holocaust. The United Nations adopted this term and formalized genocide as a crime in 1951, but the meaning of genocide continues to be contested. Some academics, for example, advocate for the inclusion of political groups as targets for genocide in addition to collectivities that are already included, like ethnic or religious groups.<\/h5>\n