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 Throughout history, entire populations have fallen victim to systematic genocide. During the twentieth century alone, we have witnessed the intentional destruction , in whole or in part, of such groups as Armenians, Jews, Cambodians, Hutus and Tutsis, Bosnians, and indigenous peoples. Despite the urgent need to understand the origins and effects of such devastation, anthropologists have not yet fully engaged this topic of study. The present book arose from “The Anthropology of Genocide,” an invited session (by the General Anthropology Division and the Committee on Human Rights) at the  meeting of the American Anthropological Association. Like the panel, the book is devoted to stimulating anthropological debate on genocide and pointing the way toward an anthropology of genocide. A number of people have helped the book come to fruition. First, I’d like to sincerely thank the contributors to the volume, all of whom are dedicated scholars who have many commitments. From the onset, Naomi Schneider, our editor at the University of California Press, expressed strong interest in and support for the volume. We are all grateful for her efficiency, incisive comments, and commitment. Ellie Hickerson , her editorial assistant, was also of great help, as were Annie Decker, Martin Hanft, and Suzanne Knott. The anonymous reviewers of the manuscript provided important feedback that strengthened the volume in several respects. I am grateful to Michael Mattis for giving us permission to use the photograph Grief on the cover. And thanks are due to Katie Joice of Berg Publishers and Eric Fichtl of the North American Congress on Latin America for agreeing to allow us to include modified versions of previously published works by Christopher Taylor and Carole Nagengast: Chapter  of Christopher Taylor’s Sacrifice As Terror (Oxford: Berg Publishers,  Cowley Road, Oxford OX JJ UK). Carole Nagengast’s article “Militarizing the Border Patrol,” NACLA Report on the Americas , no.  (): –. xiii My deepest gratitude goes to Kenneth Roth for writing the foreword to this volume and to Robert Borofsky, series editor, for his enthusiastic support and help in envisioning the book as part of the California Series in Public Anthropology. Finally, I want to thank Nicole Cooley for her encouragement, comments, and thoughts on the structure of the volume. Without her help, the book would not have achieved its current form. xiv  ...

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