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Synopsis Of all the horrors human beings perpetrate, genocide stands near the top of the list. Its toll is staggering: well over million dead worldwide. In it, Alexander Hinton focuses on the devastation that took place in Cambodia from April to January under the Khmer Rouge in order to explore why mass murder happens and what motivates perpetrators to kill.
Basing his analysis on years of investigative work in Cambodia, Hinton finds parallels between the Khmer Rouge and the Nazi regimes. Policies in Cambodia resulted in the deaths of over 1. Hinton considers this violence in light of a number of dynamics, including the ways in which difference is manufactured, how identity and meaning are constructed, and how emotionally resonant forms of cultural knowledge are incorporated into genocidal ideologies.
Excerpt As long as I can still see my shadow while walking to the rice fields, I will never be able to forget the slaughter committed by the Khmer Rouge against my wife, children and the people of Cambodia between — Lay Ny, a farmer from Prey Veng Why did you kill? Sharpe, May 10, Ozzie rated it it was amazing. People reviewing this and deriding as jargony and dispassionate are missing the point.
It's an anthropological study of a genocide, without the trappings and drawbacks of emotion. Emotions play a big part in human life, but often they are a roadblock to discovering root causes and understanding. Dark and emotional subjects like genocide deserve no less of a treatment, and Hinton provides exactly that. It IS an academic work of anthropology and sociology, but I read it as an undergrad whose disci People reviewing this and deriding as jargony and dispassionate are missing the point.
No one had any strength and people became emaciated. Blood avenges blood! He later became the director of the museum of genocide established at Tuol Sleng. Hinton considers this violence in light of a number of dynamics, including the ways in which difference is manufactured, how identity and meaning are constructed, and how emotionally resonant forms of cultural knowledge are incorporated into genocidal ideologies. Initially, the Khmer Rouge aimed for the "forced assimilation" of Chams through population dispersal. They were taken away and killed.
It IS an academic work of anthropology and sociology, but I read it as an undergrad whose discipline was history, and I didn't find it too difficult to read. I highly recommend it. The book is not easy to read at all.
I found very clear explanation from the tradition on revenge in Cambodian folk stories, to the root of Buddhism in the Khmer Rogue system and the motivations of each group of Khmer Rogue. The book also explains very clearly on the purges that happened before inside thee Khmer Rogue leaders The book is not easy to read at all. The book also explains very clearly on the purges that happened before inside thee Khmer Rogue leaders itself.
It is quite academic and hard to break all to understand.
But it is very well-written. View 1 comment. Feb 17, AC rated it liked it Shelves: fascism , vietnam-cambodia-dprk.
Some of this was quite disturbing, but much of it is dull and jargony Something creepy about that in itself A great teacher of mine once told me, talking about the superficialities of modern suburban students, that he was talking once about the 20th cen, and had said that its essential condition was one of horror and angst, and looked up to see all of his students, in tweeds and jeans, dutifully copying down hi Some of this was quite disturbing, but much of it is dull and jargony A great teacher of mine once told me, talking about the superficialities of modern suburban students, that he was talking once about the 20th cen, and had said that its essential condition was one of horror and angst, and looked up to see all of his students, in tweeds and jeans, dutifully copying down his words: "the es-essenti-al cond-i-tion of the Jul 04, Yunzhi rated it liked it.
Author talked a lot about disproportional revenge and how people hold grudge and wait for the right time to beat the enemies. However, I have some doubt on this. Is this culture really popular in everyday life for Cambodian? If this were true, too many people will get hurt and die very often, to the extend of unable to hold the society itself.
Of all the horrors human beings perpetrate, genocide stands near the top of the list. Its toll is staggering: well over million dead giuliettasprint.konfer.eu Did They. This item:Why Did They Kill?: Cambodia in the Shadow of Genocide (California Series in Public Anthropology) by Alexander Laban Hinton Paperback $
Also, to hold gru Author talked a lot about disproportional revenge and how people hold grudge and wait for the right time to beat the enemies. Also, to hold grudge and smile to the enemy is against the basic human desire, and I doubt how many people will able to do that.
But, in China, this only appears in very few but popular old tellings and practice very very rare. If somehow very unfortunately some cruel dictator took over the U. There is of course huge value inside digging the issue of Cambodian massacre, understand the causes and dynamic inside it. I really love this book and agree most part of it. Jan 09, Try Lee rated it it was amazing Shelves: history.
The horrible and cruel genocide regime happened in Cambodia during 3years 8months and 20days. The revenge of Khmer rouge to Lon Nol regime, the gap between poor and rich were too large. The hate to previous government officials from the top to bottom, Lon Nol workers, intellectuals, capitalists. The scope of the accusation were too big, they accused the same crime to wife, children, brothers and sisters, relatives, they eliminated all.
They lost trust, suspicious, revenge not only enemies but al The horrible and cruel genocide regime happened in Cambodia during 3years 8months and 20days. They lost trust, suspicious, revenge not only enemies but also inside the party even ministers, they took them to S21 prison led by Duch brutal harm physical and forced to confess the crime and told somebody who were related and executed all.
Jan 20, Aubrey rated it really liked it. Hinton analyzes the Cambodian genocide, and the motivations for such violence, from a very individual perspective. He theorizes from socio-psychological and socio-cultural perspective - which makes this book absolutely perfect for my own analysis for my thesis. These perspectives play on notions of group cohesion and socialization, which are not only important for understanding the group dynamics within a genocidal regime, but also for understanding individual rationalizations.
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