Yale historian examines the history of genocide for the Assembly Series

Nov. 3, 2009 -- A leading scholar on the history of genocide with a focus on Southeast Asia, Benedict Kiernan's work has focused on the Khmer Rouge and its crimes against the Cambodian people. A central theme running through his scholarship and research is that ideologies motivating perpetrators of genocide in the past persist today.

In his talk for the Holocaust Memorial Lecture, Kiernan will expand on this concept and show the historical evidence that can predict and prevent future genocides. His talk, "Blood and Soil: Genocide in World History," will be at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11 in Graham Chapel.

Born in Australia, Kiernan received a Ph.D. from Monash University, Australia, in 1983. At Yale University, he is the Whitney Griswold Professor of History, Professor of International and Area Studies, and Director of the Genocide Studies Program.

He is the author of numerous publications on Southeast Asia and genocide. His award-winning book Blood and Soil: A World History of Genocide and Extermination from Sparta to Darfur was published in 2007.

His book Genocide and Resistance in Southeast Asia: Documentation, Denial, and Justice in Cambodia and East Timor (2007), is credited for its significant contribution to historical documentation. As a young adult, he visited Cambodia before the Khmer Rouge expelled all foreigners in 1975. He learned the Khmer language and carried out extensive research there and among refugees abroad.

He is a member of the editorial boards at Critical Asian Studies, Human Rights Review, and Zeitschrift fur Genozidforschung.

The event is free and open to the public. Graham Chapel is located north of Mallinckrodt Center on the Washington University Danforth campus.

For more information, call (314) 935-4620 or visit the Assembly Series Web page (http://assemblyseries.wustl.edu).