Psychology

After the Genocide: Psychological Perspectives on Victim, Bystander, and Perpetrator Groups

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Interest in the aftermath of genocide and mass violence has increased in the last few years, and some researchers in various subdisciplines of psychology have begun to address this urgent social issue. Genocide and mass violence continue to influence intergroup relations, conflicts, and policy attitudes. Nevertheless, these topics are still understudied. We introduce this issue by providing a brief overview of the scarce psychological research on the aftermath of genocide among members of former victim, perpetrator, and bystander groups. Although this distinction is too simplistic to explain individual behavior during genocide and its aftermath, we hold on to it as a framework for organizing existing scholarship, and because of the ongoing relevance of these social representations in discourse on this topic. The introduction concludes with an overview of the issue and its organization, including a brief summary of each article. © 2013 The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.

Publication Title

Journal of Social Issues

Publication Date

2013

Volume

69

Issue

1

First Page

1

Last Page

15

ISSN

0022-4537

DOI

10.1111/josi.12000

Keywords

genocide, genocide survivors, sociology of genocide, psychology

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