Crimes Against Humanity Birth of a Concept - by Norman Geras (Paperback)

About the Book

This is an accessible and informative guide to the evolution of the concept of crimes against humanity- a hugely influential concept which has had a marked impact on modern international politics, law and ethics.

Book Synopsis

This book, newly available in paperback, tells the story of the emergence of the concept of crimes against humanity. It examines its origins, the ethical assumptions underpinning it, its legal and philosophical boundaries, and some of the controversies connected with it. A brief historical introduction is followed by an exploration of the various meanings of the term 'crimes against humanity' that have been suggested; a definition is proposed linking it to the idea of basic human rights. The book looks at some problems with the boundaries of the concept, the threshold for its proper application and the related issue of humanitarian intervention. It concludes with a discussion of the prospects for the further development of crimes-against-humanity law.

The work serves as a clear and compact introduction for students of politics, philosophy and law, as well as for the general reading public.

From the Back Cover

This book tells the story of the emergence of the concept of crimes against humanity. It examines its origins, the ethical assumptions underpinning it, its legal and philosophical boundaries, and some of the controversies connected with it. A brief historical introduction is followed by an exploration of the various meanings of the term 'crimes against humanity' that have been suggested; a definition is proposed linking it to the idea of basic human rights. The book looks at some problems with the boundaries of the concept, the threshold for its proper application and the related issue of humanitarian intervention. It concludes with a discussion of the prospects for the further development of crimes-against-humanity law.

The work serves as a clear and compact introduction for students of politics, philosophy and law, as well as for the general reading public.

Review Quotes

'This book represents a strong theoretical contribution and informative guide for both academics and practitioners dealing with the subject. In addition, this book is beneficial for a general non-specialist audience as an accessible tool in shedding light on one of the most topical, complicated and contentious issues in the sphere of contemporary international law.'
Rustam B. Atadjanov, Issue 1 of 2016 of the Journal of International Criminal Justice, July 2016

'Norman Geras's Crimes against humanity is an elegantly written and deeply humane work that examines the philosophical basis of one of the core crimes of international law...For a compact, thoughtful, and philosophically sophisticated discussion of a category of crime that has become central to international law and global politics, it would be difficult to do better than this volume.'
Andrew Altman, Springer: Criminal Law and Philosophy (2016)

About the Author

The late Norman Geras was Professor Emeritus in Politics at the University of Manchester