International Institute for Genocide
and Human Rights Studies
A Division of the Zoryan Institute
Alumni of Distinction
Uğur Ümit Üngör
Biography
Uğur Ümit Üngör is Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at NIOD Institute in Amsterdam. In the summer of 2003, he was a shy undergraduate student when he enrolled in GHRUP. The program brought him into contact with a wide diversity of students who each had their own motives to join and learn about the history of genocide. GHRUP encouraged his scholarship by providing feedback on his written work and access to the Zoryan Institute library and publications.
Message to Future GHRUP Students
My message to future generations of scholars of mass violence is to maintain a healthy balance between moral and emotional involvement and detachment, develop curiosity about how other disciplines look at a particular case or aspect of violence, and remember that human destructiveness is a universal problem.
Relevant Publications
Üngör, U.Ü. (2011). Team America: Genocide prevention? Genocide Studies and Prevention, 6(1), 32-38. DOI: 10.3138/gsp.6.1.32
Üngör, U.Ü. (2006). When persecution bleeds into mass murder: The processive nature of genocide. Genocide Studies and Prevention, 1(2), 173-196. DOI: 10.3138/0252-6L27-67M7-732
Cheng Xu
Biography
Cheng Xu is a PhD Candidate in Political Science at the University of Toronto. He is also the Cadieux-Léger Fellow at Global Affairs Canada. The knowledge and insights he gained from GHRUP helped him transition from a decade long military career into Academia. Furthermore, GHRUP helped him develop his research interests and expertise in the field of genocide and human rights, which set him up for not only his dissertation research, but in academic publishing, as well as teaching undergraduate students on the topic.
Message to Future GHRUP Students
The advice I have for future scholars of genocide and human rights is the same advice my late supervisor, Lee-Ann Fujii, another giant in the field, passed on to me: “be a hungry learner.” Gain as much exposure, do as much reading, and speak to as many experts as possible. Let passion be your guide and you will undoubtedly find your path and lead you to a community of like-minded individuals.
Relevant Publications
Xu, C. (2021). Book review: Collective & state violence in Turkey: The construction of a national identity from empire to nation-state. Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal, 15(1), 141–144. https://doi.org/10.5038/1911-9933.15.1.1824
Xu, C. (2018). Draining the sea: Counterinsurgency as an instrument of Genocide. Genocide Studies International, 12(1), 6-25. DOI: 10.3138/gsi.12.1.02
Xu, C. (2019). Nationalism, necessary and sufficient for genocide? A counterfactual account through a comparative case study of Nazi Germany, Shōwa Japan, and Fascist Italy. Genocide Studies International, 12(2), 234-252. DOI: 10.3138/gsi.12.2.07
Uğur Ümit Üngör is Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at NIOD Institute in Amsterdam. In the summer of 2003, he was a shy undergraduate student when he enrolled in GHRUP. The program brought him into contact with a wide diversity of students who each had their own motives to join and learn about the history of genocide. GHRUP encouraged his scholarship by providing feedback on his written work and access to the Zoryan Institute library and publications.
Alexis Papazian
Biography
Alexis Papazian is a professor of history and has a PhD in anthropology from the University of Buenos Aires, where he teaches. Being part of the GHRUP in 2009, allowed Dr. Papazian to study with excellent international professors in a first level intensive course. In his words, "The Zoryan Institute is undoubtedly an open space for academic discussion, which allows us to learn about different life trajectories." Since completing the GHRUP, Dr. Papazian has been able to generate research articles, participate in academic events, work in the Ministry of Education and Culture of Argentina with projects related to the respect for Human Rights, and strengthen his role in the Luisa Hairabedian Foundation, a place where he is academically responsible and for which he has a very deep appreciation.
Message to Future GHRUP Students
I am convinced that the GHRUP experience is, in many ways, incredible, and I emphasize the importance of having colleagues from different countries and continents, a unique situation that allows us to grow, learn and understand from the diversity of cultures and histories.
Relevant Publications
Hairabedian, F. G., & Papazian, A. (2011). Critical reflections on MARO: The view from Argentina. Genocide Studies and Prevention, 6(1), 45-51. DOI: 10.3138/gsp.6.1.45
Delrio, W., Lenton, D., Musante, M., Nagy, M., Papazian, A., & Pérez, P. (2010). Discussing Indigenous Genocide in Argentina: Past, present, and consequences of Argentinean State policies toward Native Peoples. Genocide Studies and Prevention, 5(2), 138-159. DOI: 10.3138/gsp.5.2.138