MPC Member Publications

This database contains a listing of population studies publications written by MPC Members. Anyone can add a publication by an MPC student, faculty, or staff member to this database; new citations will be reviewed and approved by MPC administrators.

Full Citation

Title: Techniques of Neutralization and Identity Work Among Accused Genocide Perpetrators

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2017

ISBN: 026/4056221

DOI: 10.1093/socpro/spx026

Abstract: Following the 1994 Rwandan genocide, many defendants on trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) testified on their own behalf. This article analyzes transcripts of their testimonies to learn (1) how defendants discuss the grave crimes of which they are accused, and (2) how their explanatory styles allow them to rationalize their actions and negotiate their tarnished identities. We find that defendants employ Gresham Sykes and David Matza's (1957) classic techniques of neutralization as a means of rationalization , impression management, and identity negotiation. Nevertheless, these techniques, along with those developed in the decades since, do not capture all aspects of defendants' accounts. We thus identify additional techniques of neutralization to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how defendants account for their actions. By extending this classic literature, we call attention to the situational context of international trials, the nature of the crime of genocide, the relatively high social status many defendants once occupied, and existing narratives surrounding the legitimacy of the ICTR. In doing so, our analysis contributes to understandings of narratives of violence and accused genocide perpetrators. K E Y W O R D S : genocide; accounts; neutralization; international criminal tribunal; symbolic interaction. In 1994, mass violence claimed up to one million lives in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Despite mounting evidence of atrocities and large-scale systematic killings, the international community was slow to respond. After the violence subsided, however, the United Nations Security Council quickly mandated the creation of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) to help bring those responsible for the genocide to justice (United Nations 1994). The ad-hoc Tribunal issued its first indictment in 1995 and, prior to closing in 2015, tried 75 individuals for planning and executing the violence. Many of these accused perpetrators testified on their own behalf and thus acquired an international stage on which to explain their actions. This article draws upon testimonies of

Url: https://academic.oup.com/socpro/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/socpro/spx026/4056221

User Submitted?: No

Authors: Bryant, Emily; Schimke, Emily Brooke; Brehm, Hollie Nyseth; Uggen, Christopher

Periodical (Full): Social Problems

Issue:

Volume: 0

Pages: 1-19

Countries:

IPUMS NHGIS NAPP IHIS ATUS Terrapop