Abstract
Genocide represents an extreme form of violence on both the individual and collective level. As such, individuals seek to reframe their participation in violence, drawing from certain “techniques of neutralization.” These techniques may function both as “vocabularies of motive” to ease the violation of moral norms, and as post-facto rationalizations for violence. This paper draws from Gresham Sykes and David Matza’s moral neutralization theory to examine moral neutralization among perpetrators of the Rwandan Genocide. It presents an expanded list of ten genocidal techniques of neutralization, which are particularly relevant for the crime of genocide. Each technique is supported by excerpts from the author’s interviews with sixty-eight Rwandan Genocide perpetrators. The article argues that perpetrators use moral neutralization to conform with contemporaneous normative expectations, as well as to maintain their self-image as “good people.”
Highlights
Reconciling with the Moral ContextGenocide, the extermination of human beings en masse according to imputed group identity, requires the revision of moral rules
This paper draws from Gresham Sykes and David Matza’s moral neutralization theory to examine moral neutralization among perpetrators of the Rwandan Genocide
Among my Rwandan interview subjects, 61.3% reported that the genocide was caused by obedience to authority, while 71.9% of perpetrators believed that they had no choice but to kill: ‘the authorities obliged us to kill the Tutsi or else we would become killed’
Summary
The extermination of human beings en masse according to imputed group identity, requires the revision of moral rules. Propaganda, ideology, and state structures are essential for the revision of the moral context. Perpetrators draw from ideology and propaganda for comprehension of the current situation, action frameworks, and justifications for their acts. Genocide does not require true believers; acquiescence and rationalization of wrongful acts are enough. This process is facilitated by the individual’s need to frame their action in such a way that it remains consistent with their notions of moral selfhood. Perpetrators are able to reconcile their acts in an altered moral context with past notions of right and wrong. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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