Leo Kuper
Encyclopedia
Leo Kuper was a writer and philosopher. He was born to a Lithuanian Jewish
family in South Africa
. He trained as a lawyer before becoming a sociologist specialising in the study of genocide
.
He married the anthropologist Hilda Kuper
, with whom he had two daughters: the international human rights lawyer Dr Jenny Kuper and the painter and sculptor Mary Kuper.
Kuper was an active member of the Liberal Party of South Africa during the 1950s and some of his involvements are detailed in Alan Paton
's book Journey Continued.
During the 1960s, Kuper moved to Los Angeles, California
, United States
, where he took up teaching and researching at UCLA. His publications include The Pity of it All, Passive Resistance in South Africa, and The Prevention of Genocide.
Kuper was a founding member of the Council of the Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide
and the Liberal Party of Natal
.
Lithuanian Jews
Lithuanian Jews or Litvaks are Jews with roots in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania:...
family in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. He trained as a lawyer before becoming a sociologist specialising in the study of genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
.
He married the anthropologist Hilda Kuper
Hilda Kuper
Hilda Beemer Kuper, née Beemer, was a social anthropologist most notable for her extensive work on Swazi culture. Born to Lithuanian Jewish and Austrian Jewish parents in Bulawayo, she moved to South Africa after the death of her father...
, with whom he had two daughters: the international human rights lawyer Dr Jenny Kuper and the painter and sculptor Mary Kuper.
Kuper was an active member of the Liberal Party of South Africa during the 1950s and some of his involvements are detailed in Alan Paton
Alan Paton
Alan Stewart Paton was a South African author and anti-apartheid activist.-Family:Paton was born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal Province , the son of a minor civil servant. After attending Maritzburg College, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Natal in his hometown, followed...
's book Journey Continued.
During the 1960s, Kuper moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he took up teaching and researching at UCLA. His publications include The Pity of it All, Passive Resistance in South Africa, and The Prevention of Genocide.
Kuper was a founding member of the Council of the Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide
Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide
The Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide was founded in Jerusalem, in 1979, by Israeli scholars Israel W. Charny, Shamai Davidson and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel....
and the Liberal Party of Natal
Natal Province
Natal, meaning "Christmas" in Portuguese, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. The Natal Province included the bantustan of KwaZulu...
.
External links
- Leo Kuper Foundation website
- New York Times obituary
- Research biography and collection details
- Collections archived by University of California
- Obituary in Holocaust and Genocide Studies 1994 8(3):446-447; doi:10.1093/hgs/8.3.446