Perpetrator studies

Perpetrator studies, also known as perpetrator research,[1] is a nascent interdisciplinary, scholarly field of research into the perpetrators of mass killings and/or political violence. It is covered in Journal of Perpetrator Research and other publications.[2]

Anthropologists, historians, and psychologists are among those who have made contributions to the field. The field is relatively novel, with the notable Journal of Perpetrator Research publishing its first issue in 2017, [2] with the aim of studying perpetrators' motives and philosophies. Researchers have also explored the "processes through which genocide took shape" that have contributed to what scholars view as a phenomenon of mostly "ordinary people" becoming highly motivated to commit collective atrocities.[3]

  1. ^ Gudehus, Christian (2023). "The potential of - and problems with - perpetrator research". Handbook of Genocide Studies. Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 157–170. ISBN 978-1-80037-933-6.
  2. ^ a b "About - Journal of Perpetrator Research". jpr.winchesteruniversitypress.org. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  3. ^ Anderson, Kjell Follingstad; Jessee, Erin (2020). Researching Perpetrators of Genocide. United States: The University of Wisconsin. p. 9. ISBN 9780299329709.