Adam Jones, The Scourge of Genocide: Essays and Reflections (Routledge, 2013)
Being an academic is usually a forward-looking career. \xa0You are generally focused on the next book or the next project (or perhaps the next class period). \xa0Certainly, there may be times when you rethink an old judgment or return to a subject you\u2019ve ignored for years. \xa0But this re-engagement is usually limited. \xa0Even a \xa0festschrift (a volume of essays published in honor or in memory of a well-known researcher) is written by other people and usually offers new insights rather than reflections.\n\nSo Adam Jones\u2018 self-described mid-career retrospective is pretty unusual. \xa0And valuable. \xa0Jones, as many of the readers know, has contributed enormously to the study of genocide in the past decade. \xa0The Scourge of Genocide: \xa0Essays and Reflections\xa0(Routledge, 2013) is a combination of reprints of previously published articles and reviews and original writing. \xa0The original writing is fascinating. \xa0And the essays reprinted here complement each other in ways they almost certainly didn\u2019t when scattered in a variety of publications. \xa0 \xa0The result is to give us a much fuller sense of Jones\u2019 ideas and opinions. \xa0In particular, Jones\u2019 reflection on the choices he made when writing and revising his widely used textbook (Genocide: \xa0A Comprehensive Introduction) should inspire all textbook authors to undertake a similar project.\n\nThe book is well worth reading. \xa0I hope the interview gives you the flavor of the book and Jones\u2019 ideas and persuades you to read more deeply in his work.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices\nSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/genocide-studies