Making Sense of Mass Atrocities: The Meanings of Genocide in Historical and Contemporary Contexts

In 2023 and 2024, Omer Bartov published essays in the Times and the Guardian exploring whether the war in Gaza could be described as genocide. Bartov, a scholar of the Holocaust as well as genocide more broadly, offered critical historical reflections on the language as it was defined by the UN in 1948. How, Bartov asks, does a state founded in the aftermath of the Holocaust stand today credibly accused of perpetrating crimes against humanity? Professor Bartov will be joined in conversation by Professor Shibley Telhami, an expert on politics and diplomacy in the Middle East. Together, they will engage in a critical discussion of the concept of genocide, the history of the term, and its resonances in our contemporary context. Join us to reflect together on this language and history as well as the meanings of drawing connections between our past and present.

Omer Bartov is Dean's Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University. Shibley Telhami is Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at UMD. Peter Wien, Professor of History at UMD, will facilitate their conversation.

Please RSVP to attend.