Making and Unmaking Nations

"Making and Unmaking Nations is essential reading for anyone concerned about the nature of state violence in the twenty-first century and finding practical measures to prevent it. In this reasoned and carefully written book, Scott Straus presents high-quality analysis of the causes and processes of genocide. He finds that the character of official statements over decades—either portraying exclusionary visions of a pure nation or promoting inclusion of plural communities—frames how state violence is deployed during conflicts. This brilliant book shows how the climate of political discourse at the highest levels can tip the balance toward genocide or toward deescalation."—Will Reno, Northwestern University, author of Warlord Politics and African States
"Making and Unmaking Nations is a true tour de force that will set the standard for scholars of genocide and ethnic conflict for years to come. Straus's contributions to our understanding of these important subjects are significant and manifold: He breaks major new theoretical ground and synthesizes it with what we know from the last decade of genocide research. The case studies are extraordinarily rich and profoundly convincing. Straus’s mastery of sources and original interviews in so many disparate cases is deeply impressive. The book’s focus on Sub-Saharan Africa is a very welcome departure from most other works on the subject. Straus also explores societies that avoided mass violence in much greater detail than previous scholarship. These cases lead to profound insights about why genocide happens and, more important, what we can do to stop it."—Benjamin Valentino, Dartmouth College, author of Final Solutions: Mass Killing and Genocide in the 20th Century

"By contrasting African countries that experienced genocides with African countries that might have experienced genocide but did not actually do so, Scott Straus has made a major contribution to genocide studies. His conclusion that political leadership and the 'founding narratives' of nations are the most important factors in determining outcomes is original and compelling."—Michael Mann, UCLA, author of The Dark Side of Democracy: Explaining Ethnic Cleansing

"Scott Straus knows Francophone as well as Anglophone Africa like the back of his hand. In this bold book, he turns the powerless lament after each genocide—'never again'—into a helpful insight: mass annihilation is actually more often than not prevented on the strength of ideas that make nations where categorical ‘otherness’ survives."—Stephen W. Smith, Duke University