Mass Atrocity, Collective Memory and the Law

Mass Atrocity, Collective Memory, and the Law is a remarkable and remarkably important book. [It draws] out the legal implications of historical and contemporary responses to mass atrocity inflicted by a state on its population. Osiel challenges us to rethink what law is and can be

--Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

Can criminal trials of the alleged perpetrators help heal societies wounded by terrible massacres and atrocities? In this splendid, clear-eyed inquiry, Mark Osiel cautiously answers in the affirmative. Well aware of how this process can go wrong, and how it has gone wrong in specific cases, the author nevertheless encourages those who seek justice and refuse to abandon the rule of law.

--Michael R. Marrus, University of Toronto

Osiel's knowledge is immense, his grasp of theories of history and collective memory very sophisticated, his approach subtle and fair-minded, his style powerful and clear. This is the best book ever written about how states construct collective memories of large-scale state brutality, about how law can be used to promote understanding of historical injustices so as to teach valuable lessons to future generations, and finally about the perils and ironies inherent in such uses of law.

--Robert W. Gordon, Johnston Professor of Law, Yale Law School

Mark Osiel reminds us that inquests and trials for past atrocities are acts of collective memory. Osiel writes with the precision of a lawyer, the insight of a sociologist, and above all the passion of a humanitarian.

--David Luban, Morton and Sophie Macht Professor of Law, University of Maryland

Drawing upon history, social theory, and legal philosophy, Osiel demonstrates how the political trial can help reconstruct a liberal community after devastating political violence. This is a timely and persuasive work based on a great range of recent cases.

--Charles S. Maier, Director of the C

Mass Atrocity, Collective Memory, and the Law is a remarkable and remarkably important book. [It draws] out the legal implications of historical and contemporary responses to mass atrocity inflicted by a state on its population. Osiel challenges us to rethink what law is and can be

--Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

Can criminal trials of the alleged perpetrators help heal societies wounded by terrible massacres and atrocities? In this splendid, clear-eyed inquiry, Mark Osiel cautiously answers in the affirmative. Well aware of how this process can go wrong, and how it has gone wrong in specific cases, the author nevertheless encourages those who seek justice and refuse to abandon the rule of law.

--Michael R. Marrus, University of Toronto

Osiel's knowledge is immense, his grasp of theories of history and collective memory very sophisticated, his approach subtle and fair-minded, his style powerful and clear. This is the best book ever written about how states construct collective memories of large-scale state brutality, about how law can be used to promote understanding of historical injustices so as to teach valuable lessons to future generations, and finally about the perils and ironies inherent in such uses of law.

--Robert W. Gordon, Johnston Professor of Law, Yale Law School

Mark Osiel reminds us that inquests and trials for past atrocities are acts of collective memory. Osiel writes with the precision of a lawyer, the insight of a sociologist, and above all the passion of a humanitarian.

--David Luban, Morton and Sophie Macht Professor of Law, University of Maryland

Drawing upon history, social theory, and legal philosophy, Osiel demonstrates how the political trial can help reconstruct a liberal community after devastating political violence. This is a timely and persuasive work based on a great range of recent cases.

--Charles S. Maier

Oseil (Univ. of Iowa, law) applies sociology theory in a reasoned argument for criminal prosecutions involving the judiciary in broad consideration of evidence about administrative massacre, evidence far beyond the facts required to establish individual guilt... Osiel's provocative, thoughtful work draws on a wide range of theory that challenges prevailing conceptions of the law's limits. His unique analysis should inform the debate over impunity and the relative merits of truth commissions versus criminal tribunals to expose gross human rights violations. His sophisticated approach should interest advanced readers, upper-division undergraduate and above.

--H. Tolley, Choice

Mass Atrocity, Collective Memory, and the Law is a remarkable and remarkably important book. [It draws] out the legal implications of historical and contemporary responses to mass atrocity inflicted by a state on its population. Osiel challenges us to rethink what law is and can be

--Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

Can criminal trials of the alleged perpetrators help heal societies wounded by terrible massacres and atrocities? In this splendid, clear-eyed inquiry, Mark Osiel cautiously answers in the affirmative. Well aware of how this process can go wrong, and how it has gone wrong in specific cases, the author nevertheless encourages those who seek justice and refuse to abandon the rule of law.

--Michael R. Marrus, University of Toronto

Osiel's knowledge is immense, his grasp of theories of history and collective memory very sophisticated, his approach subtle and fair-minded, his style powerful and clear. This is the best book ever written about how states construct collective memories of large-scale state brutality, about how law can be used to promote understanding of historical injustices so as to teach valuable lessons to future generations, and finally about the perils and ironie

Oseil (Univ. of Iowa, law) applies sociology theory in a reasoned argument for criminal prosecutions involving the judiciary in broad consideration of evidence about administrative massacre, evidence far beyond the facts required to establish individual guilt... Osiel's provocative, thoughtful work draws on a wide range of theory that challenges prevailing conceptions of the law's limits. His unique analysis should inform the debate over impunity and the relative merits of truth commissions versus criminal tribunals to expose gross human rights violations. His sophisticated approach should interest advanced readers, upper-division undergraduate and above.

--H. Tolley, Choice

[T]here has emerged a tremendous amount of literature examining various battlefields of memory. Osiel has added an important and revealing work to this field.

--Edward T. Linenthal, Shofar

A remarkable book. . . . Osiel's knowledge is immense, his grasp of theories of history and collective memory very sophisticated, his approach subtle and fair-minded, his style powerful and clear. This is the best book ever written about how states construct collective memories of large-scale state brutality, about how law can be used to promote understanding of historical injustices so as to teach valuable lessons to future generations, and finally about the perils and ironies inherent in such uses of law.

--Robert W. Gordon, Johnston Professor of Law, Yale Law School

Mass Atrocity, Collective Memory, and the Law is a remarkable and remarkably important book. [It draws] out the legal implications of historical and contemporary responses to mass atrocity inflicted by a state on its population. Osiel challenges us to rethink what law is and can be

--Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

Can criminal trials of the alleged perpetrators help heal societies wounded by terrible massacres and atrocities? In this splendid, clear-eyed inquiry, Mark Osiel cautiously answers in the affirmative. Well aware of how this process can go wrong, and how it has gone wrong in specific cases, the author nevertheless encourages those who seek justice and refuse to abandon the rule of law.

--Michael R. Marrus, University of Toronto

Mark Osiel reminds us that inquests and trials for past atrocities are acts of collective memory. Osiel writes with the precision of a lawyer, the insight of a sociologist, and above all the passion of a humanitarian.

--David Luban, Morton and Sophie Macht Professor of Law, University of Maryland

Drawing upon history, social theory, and legal philosophy, Osiel demonstrates how the political trial can help reconstruct a liberal community after devastating political violence. This is a timely and persuasive work based on a great range of recent cases.

--Charles S. Maier, Director of the Center for European Studies, Harvard University

[N]o one before Osiel has made such a successful attempt to compare several ground-breaking trials through which very different societies have tried to come to grips with the legacies of man-made tragedies.

--Juan E. MEndez, Executive Director, Inter-American Institute of Human Rights

Oseil (Univ. of Iowa, law) applies sociology theory in a reasoned argument for criminal prosecutions involving the judiciary in broad consideration of evidence about administrative massacre, evidence far beyond the facts required to establish individual guilt... Osiel's provocative, thoughtful work draws on a wide range of theory that challenges prevailing conceptions of the law's limits. His unique analysis should inform the debate over impunity and the relative merits of truth commissions versus criminal tribunals to expose gross human rights violations. His sophisticated approach should interest advanced readers, upper-division undergraduate and above.

--H. Tolley, Choice

[T]here has emerged a tremendous amount of literature examining various battlefields of memory. Osiel has added an important and revealing work to this field.

--Edward T. Linenthal, Shofar

A remarkable book. . . . Osiel's knowledge is immense, his grasp of theories of history and collective memory very sophisticated, his approach subtle and fair-minded, his style powerful and clear. This is the best book ever written about how states construct collective memories of large-scale state brutality, about how law can be used to promote understanding of historical injustices so as to teach valuable lessons to future generations, and finally about the perils and ironies inherent in such uses of law.

--Robert W. Gordon, Johnston Professor of Law, Yale Law School

Mass Atrocity, Collective Memory, and the Law is a remarkable and remarkably important book. [It draws] out the legal implications of historical and contemporary responses to mass atrocity inflicted by a state on its population. Osiel challenges us to rethink what law is and can be

--Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

Can criminal trials of the alleged perpetrators help heal societies wounded by terrible massacres and atrocities? In this splendid, clear-eyed inquiry, Mark Osiel cautiously answers in the affirmative. Well aware of how this process can go wrong, and how it has gone wrong in specific cases, the author nevertheless encourages those who seek justice and refuse to abandon the rule of law.

--Michael R. Marrus, University of Toronto

Mark Osiel reminds us that inquests and trials for past atrocities are acts of collective memory. Osiel writes with the precision of a lawyer, the insight of a sociologist, and above all the passion of a humanitarian.

--David Luban, Morton and Sophie Macht Professor of Law, University of Maryland

Drawing upon history, social theory, and legal philosophy, Osiel demonstrates how the political trial can help reconstruct a liberal community after devastating political violence. This is a timely and persuasive work based on a great range of recent cases.

--Charles S. Maier, Director of the Center for European Studies, Harvard University

[N]o one before Osiel has made such a successful attempt to compare several ground-breaking trials through which very different societies have tried to come to grips with the legacies of man-made tragedies.

--Juan E. MEndez, Executive Director, Inter-American Institute of Human Rights

-Oseil (Univ. of Iowa, law) applies sociology theory in a reasoned argument for criminal prosecutions involving the judiciary in broad consideration of evidence about administrative massacre, evidence far beyond the facts required to establish individual guilt... Osiel's provocative, thoughtful work draws on a wide range of theory that challenges prevailing conceptions of the law's limits. His unique analysis should inform the debate over impunity and the relative merits of truth commissions versus criminal tribunals to expose gross human rights violations. His sophisticated approach should interest advanced readers, upper-division undergraduate and above.-

--H. Tolley, Choice

-[T]here has emerged a tremendous amount of literature examining various battlefields of memory. Osiel has added an important and revealing work to this field.-

--Edward T. Linenthal, Shofar

-A remarkable book. . . . Osiel's knowledge is immense, his grasp of theories of history and collective memory very sophisticated, his approach subtle and fair-minded, his style powerful and clear. This is the best book ever written about how states construct collective memories of large-scale state brutality, about how law can be used to promote understanding of historical injustices so as to teach valuable lessons to future generations, and finally about the perils and ironies inherent in such uses of law.-

--Robert W. Gordon, Johnston Professor of Law, Yale Law School

-Mass Atrocity, Collective Memory, and the Law is a remarkable and remarkably important book. [It draws] out the legal implications of historical and contemporary responses to mass atrocity inflicted by a state on its population. Osiel challenges us to rethink what law is and can be-

--Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College

-Can criminal trials of the alleged perpetrators help heal societies wounded by terrible massacres and atrocities? In this splendid, clear-eyed inquiry, Mark Osiel cautiously answers in the affirmative. Well aware of how this process can go wrong, and how it has gone wrong in specific cases, the author nevertheless encourages those who seek justice and refuse to abandon the rule of law.-

--Michael R. Marrus, University of Toronto

-Mark Osiel reminds us that inquests and trials for past atrocities are acts of collective memory. Osiel writes with the precision of a lawyer, the insight of a sociologist, and above all the passion of a humanitarian.-

--David Luban, Morton and Sophie Macht Professor of Law, University of Maryland

-Drawing upon history, social theory, and legal philosophy, Osiel demonstrates how the political trial can help reconstruct a liberal community after devastating political violence. This is a timely and persuasive work based on a great range of recent cases.-

--Charles S. Maier, Director of the Center for European Studies, Harvard University

-[N]o one before Osiel has made such a successful attempt to compare several ground-breaking trials through which very different societies have tried to come to grips with the legacies of man-made tragedies.-

--Juan E. MEndez, Executive Director, Inter-American Institute of Human Rights