Native America and the Question of Genocide - Historical Studies on Religion & Human Rights | Academic Research for History Students & Scholars

In my mind Native America and the Question of Genocide represents the best of the best in contemporary critical sociology and cultural study. This book takes a pragmatic approach to scholarly-activism, an approach that I find powerfully uplifting. With great skill, Professor Alvarez uses verifiable facts carefully sifted from mountains of historical documents to peel back layers of political hyperbole to reveal the complexities of colonization of an entire race. He then draws upon the latest in genocide research and scholarship to critically assess the meanings of those realities on a global scale. He manages to reveal the complexity of the problem in an accessible and empathetic manner. His research leaves no doubt that Native America has endured trauma on a massive scale. His analysis makes plain that while this is a tragedy of immense proportion, it does the victims a disservice to call it 'genocide.' While such a conclusion is sure to unsettle to those who have sought political leverage through the use of the term 'genocide,' it also opens the door for more realistic attendance to the contemporary plights of both colonization victims and genocide victims on a global scale.