The field of genocide studies has experienced extraordinary growth during the past two decades. It stands today as one of the most diverse and interdisciplinary in the social sciences and humanities. Likewise, the field’s anchoring case studies have proliferated, from an initial focus on the Jewish Holocaust, the Armenian genocide, and the genocide of Tutsi in Rwanda, to a genuinely global framework that incorporates cases of genocide and other mass atrocities on every populated continent.

This handbook provides a cutting-edge overview of the discipline, blending theoretically grounded analysis with empirically rich illustrations to provide a state-of-the-art overview of the contemporary debates in genocide studies. Split into seven sections, the book covers:

• Roots and Causation
• Disciplinary Perspectives
• Genocide Through History
• The 20th Century: Genocide Before the Convention
• Genocide Since 1948
• Interventions and Aftermaths
• Cultural Legacies

Bringing together a diverse set of both established and up-and-coming scholars, this volume will appeal to undergraduate and graduate students who are new to the field, to educators, and to scholars, researchers, and professionals in numerous fields who seek an encompassing understanding of genocide studies.

Jeffrey S. Bachman is Cohen Endowed Chair in Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State College, and co-editor-in-chief of Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal. He is author of Harry Potter and Genocide: An Introduction to Genocide Studies Through the World of Harry Potter (2026), The Politics of Genocide: From the Genocide Convention to the Responsibility to Protect (2022), and The United States and Genocide: (Re)Defining the Relationship (2017); editor of Genocide Studies: Pathways Ahead (2024) and Cultural Genocide: Law, Politics, and Global Manifestations (2019); and co-editor of A Modern History of Forgotten Genocide and Mass Atrocities (2024).

John Cox is Associate Professor of Global Studies and History at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, where he directs the Center for Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Studies. Among Cox’s publications are his 2017 To Kill a People: Genocide in the 20th Century and a recent co-authored book, Genocide: A Thematic Approach (2026). His other works include a book on leftist and Jewish resistance inside Nazi Germany, Circles of Resistance (2009) and the co-edited collection Denial: The Final Stage of Genocide? (2021). John’s articles and book chapters include a 2024 essay for the UCLA Law School on the Gaza genocide. Cox earned his PhD in History at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2006, and he has been a scholar, educator, and activist for human rights for the last 30 years.