Editors' Dedication

Abstract

This edition of Genocide Studies International is dedicated to Dr. Herb Hirsch who passed away on January 21, 2019. We are profoundly saddened by the loss of someone who was more than a colleague and co-editor; Herb was also a friend, scholar, teacher, and a fierce and uncompromising advocate for the creation of a safer, less violent, and more just world. Herb was a Professor in the Department of Political Science at Virginia Commonwealth University where he taught courses on US politics and political vio­ lence, including genocide and human rights. As a scholar, his pioneering contributions to the field of genocide studies cannot be overstated. Herb was one of the founding members of what would become the International Association of Genocide Scholars and was a founding co-editor of the journal Genocide Studies and Prevention and later Genocide Studies International. His scholarship was similarly important and has influ­ enced a generation of subsequent genocide scholars. His books, articles, and chapters are too numerous to cite here, but a few are worth highlighting. Herb’s book Genocide and the Politics of Memory was one of the first to emphasize the ways individual and collective memory can be manipulated and used in pursuit of genocidal ambitions, while Anti-Genocide: Building an American Movement to Prevent Genocide focused on applying what was known about the onset of genocidal policies and practices towards the development of effective and realistic genocide prevention systems. When the gov­ ernment of Sweden hosted an international forum on preventing genocide in 2004, Herb was one of only a handful of genocide scholars to be invited to present to policy makers and government leaders from around the world. Over the years, Herb gave many presentations and lectures to various groups and organizations, both around the US and internationally. This included the Zoryan Institute’s International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies of which Herb was a long-standing participant. His legacy and impact are truly global in scale. Sometimes blunt and outspoken in his defense of intellectual rigor and honesty, throughout his life and career, Herb remained a tireless advocate for the advancement of human rights and the protection of those fac­ ing persecution and victimization. He will be deeply missed.