Robert Melson
Encyclopedia
Robert Melson is professor emeritus of political science and a member of the Jewish studies program at Purdue University
, in Indiana
, United States. From 2003-2005, he was the President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars
(IAGS). In 2006 and 2007, he was the Cathy Cohen-Lasry Distinguished Professor in the Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark University
, Worcester, Massachusetts
.
His primary area of expertise is in ethnic conflict and genocide
. His interest in the topic derives from his family's experience in Europe, as well as from his field work in Nigeria
in 1964-65, a year before the onset of the Nigerian-Biafran civil war. The story of his and his family's survival during the Holocaust is told in False Papers (University of Illinois Press, 2000), which was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award for 2001. Among his other books, Revolution and Genocide: On the Origins of the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust (University of Chicago Press, 1992/6). He has published (with Howard Wolpe, eds.), Nigeria
: Modernization and the Politics of Communalism.(East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1971.) His articles have been published in the American Political Science Review
, Comparative Studies in Society and History, Holocaust and Genocide Studies
, and elsewhere.
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
, in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, United States. From 2003-2005, he was the President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars
International Association of Genocide Scholars
The International Association of Genocide Scholars is a global, interdisciplinary, non-partisan organization that seeks to further research and teaching about the nature, causes, and consequences of genocide, and advance policy studies on prevention of genocide. The Association, founded in 1994 by...
(IAGS). In 2006 and 2007, he was the Cathy Cohen-Lasry Distinguished Professor in the Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark University
Clark University
Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates...
, Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
.
His primary area of expertise is in ethnic conflict and 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...
. His interest in the topic derives from his family's experience in Europe, as well as from his field work in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
in 1964-65, a year before the onset of the Nigerian-Biafran civil war. The story of his and his family's survival during the Holocaust is told in False Papers (University of Illinois Press, 2000), which was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award for 2001. Among his other books, Revolution and Genocide: On the Origins of the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust (University of Chicago Press, 1992/6). He has published (with Howard Wolpe, eds.), Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
: Modernization and the Politics of Communalism.(East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1971.) His articles have been published in the American Political Science Review
American Political Science Review
The American Political Science Review is the flagship publication of the American Political Science Association and is the most prestigious journal in political science according to the ISI 2004 Journal Citation Report...
, Comparative Studies in Society and History, Holocaust and Genocide Studies
Holocaust and Genocide Studies
Holocaust and Genocide Studies is an international peer-reviewed academic journal addressing the issue of the Holocaust and other genocides. It has been published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum since 1987 with varying frequency . The journal's...
, and elsewhere.