On September 19, 2016, Dr. Gregory H. Stanton gave a lecture entitled “The Ten Stages of Genocide”. While I was not familiar with Dr. Stanton’s work previous to the lecture, I quickly learned that he holds a significant presence in the field of Holocaust and genocide studies. This area of study is relatively new, having only emerged in the 1990’s. Dr. Stanton is at the forefront of this field. He is the current president of Genocide Watch, an organization that seeks to create an international movement to prevent and stop genocide.
The ten stages of genocide, as observed by Dr. Stanton, are as follows:
1) Classification: identification of a specific population
2) Symbolization: identification of races and/or religions with a symbol
3) Discrimination: laws that separate one population from the general public
4) Dehumanization: the use of hate propaganda to deny the humanity of a population
5) Organization: the gathering and training of militias or other forces
6) Polarization: the labeling of moderates as extremists and efforts to arrest, imprison, or kill them
7) Preparation: formal plans
8) Persecution: isolation of the victims by means of force
9) Extermination: governmental cooperation with the planners of the genocide, allowing them to carry out genocidal massacres
10) Denial: minimization of the destruction by the perpetrators
Dr. Stanton indicated that a significant population mistakenly believes genocide no longer affects the world. While many assume genocide ended with the Holocaust, other episodes of genocide have since occurred. Lack of public awareness, however, is not the only reason it continues. A lack of authoritative international forces and political will to step in and stop genocide also perpetuate its existence.
Currently, Dr. Stanton is working on a high school textbook to guide the development of genocide curricula. A major theme of Dr. Stanton’s presentation was that one of the greatest allies in the fight against genocide is education. Concurrent to Dr. Stanton’s presentation, our own Stockton University offers a spectrum of Holocaust and genocide resources. In doing so Stockton helps us to become global citizens. As global citizens, we have a responsibility to not only stop genocide, but to also remain vigilant as the threat of genocide is never truly extinguished.