In this Book
- Outlawing Genocide Denial: The Dilemmas of Official Historical Truth
- Book
- 2014
- Published by: University of Utah Press
summary
Historian and political scientist Guenter Lewy is no stranger to the topic of genocide nor to exploring controversial issues. His penchant for approaching topics from contentious angles continues in Outlawing Genocide Denial, as he scrutinizes the practice of criminalizing genocide denial.
Holocaust denial can be viewed as another form of hatred against the Jews and preventing it can be understood as a form of warding off hate speech. Germany has made it a crime punishable by law. Other European countries have similar laws. While the rationale for such laws seems reasonable, Lewy asks readers to look again and to consider carefully the dangers that these laws could present. His discussion neither dismisses the ramifications of genocide denial nor justifies it; he instead looks closely at the possible risks of government-enforced interpretations of history.
Outlawing genocide denial sets a precedent of allowing governments to dictate historical truth and how events should be interpreted. Such government restrictions can be counterproductive in a democratic society which values freedom of speech. Lewy examines these and related ideas through the analysis of historical and current examples. He posits his own conclusion but leaves it up to readers to view the evidence and arguments and form their own opinions.
Holocaust denial can be viewed as another form of hatred against the Jews and preventing it can be understood as a form of warding off hate speech. Germany has made it a crime punishable by law. Other European countries have similar laws. While the rationale for such laws seems reasonable, Lewy asks readers to look again and to consider carefully the dangers that these laws could present. His discussion neither dismisses the ramifications of genocide denial nor justifies it; he instead looks closely at the possible risks of government-enforced interpretations of history.
Outlawing genocide denial sets a precedent of allowing governments to dictate historical truth and how events should be interpreted. Such government restrictions can be counterproductive in a democratic society which values freedom of speech. Lewy examines these and related ideas through the analysis of historical and current examples. He posits his own conclusion but leaves it up to readers to view the evidence and arguments and form their own opinions.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Title Page, Copyright
- pp. i-iv
- 1. Introduction
- pp. 1-7
- 5. The French Lois Mémorielles
- pp. 91-102
- 6. The Zündel Case in Canada
- pp. 103-112
- 7. International Bodies and Genocide Denial
- pp. 113-130
- 10. State-Mandated Genocide Education
- pp. 144-153
- 11. Conclusion
- pp. 154-164
Additional Information
ISBN
9781607813743
Related ISBN(s)
9781607813729
MARC Record
OCLC
896600443
Pages
260
Launched on MUSE
2016-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No
Copyright
2014