Alex Hinton is Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, Director for the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights, and UNESCO Chair in Genocide Prevention at Rutgers University. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books, including, most recently, Perpetrators: Encountering Humanity’s Dark Side (Stanford, 2023) as well as It Can Happen Here: White Power and the Rising Threat of Genocide in the US (NYU, 2021), The Justice Facade: Trials of Transition in Cambodia (Oxford, 2018), and Man or Monster? The Trial of a Khmer Rouge Torturer (Duke, 2016). In recognition of his work on Genocide, The American Anthropological Association selected Hinton as the recipient of the 2009 Robert B. Textor and Family Prize for Excellence in Anticipatory Anthropology. Professor Hinton is also a past president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars (2011-13), a Member/Visitor at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton (2011-13), and co-convener of the Global Consortium on Bigotry and Hate (2018-24). He has been invited to speak around the world and completed a book, Anthropological Witness, about his 2016 experience testifying as an expert witness at the Khmer Rouge tribunal in Cambodia.
What is the dark side of humanity? Is it true that only evil people commit evil acts? What are the causes of mass human destructiveness? Why do people commit evil acts? Is evil a part of human nature or linked to the human condition - or both? What can be done to prevent the excesses of the dark side of humanity? Evil deeds are done by evil people. Evidence of this seeming truism appears everywhere. History books teach us about despots like Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, and Mao. Every day, the media reports on the excesses of extremism and the ravages of war. Indeed, evil would seem to be most clearly revealed in such extremes of human destructiveness, especially genocide. As an example, Professor Alex Hinton will tell the story of his courtroom face-off with Pol Pot's right-hand man at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal; and cover a wide range of cases where evil appears to be lurking. Drawing on decades of research on this issue, including interviews with former guards, executioners, and torturers, Professor Alex Hinton’s talk will explore this dark side of humanity and whether there is more to the story about the nature of human evil.
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20 май 2023
