Directors' Welcome

Dear Friends and Colleagues,  

Thank you for your interest in the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights (CGHR)!

Our Center builds upon a tradition of interest in genocide and human rights at Rutgers-Newark. Raphael Lemkin, the man who coined the term genocide, taught at the Rutgers School of Law in the 1950s. Professor Saul Mendlovitz, the Dag Hammarskjöld Professor of Law Emeritus, continued this tradition, culminating in his current efforts to create a permanent UN Emergency Peace Service to prevent genocide.

While our paths to CGHR’s Executive Committee were different, we have both witnessed first-hand the effects of effects genocide and mass human rights violations and made a commitment not just to conduct scholarly research into the origins and effects of such violence, but to seek ways to prevent it by raising awareness and undertaking educational initiatives. This conviction has only strengthened over time as we have traveled to sites of genocide and mass human rights violations across the globe.

CGHR has quickly grown to become a leader in its field. We hold the UNESCO Chair in Genocide Prevention and run projects on issues ranging from annual Raphael Lemkin Lectures to our 2019-2025 Global Consortium on Bigotry and Hate. In keeping with the Rutgers slogan, “Jersey Roots, Global Reach,” we have partnerships with institutions all over the world. The Center hosts a cutting-edge book series on “Genocide, Political Violence, Human Rights” and a student e-zine, The Rutgers Humanist. And we hold regular international conferences and thematic speaker series.

We invite you to learn more about our activities by exploring our website. Please take a look at our on-line brochure, which has been translated into multiple languages, and the profiles of our internationally renowned faculty and dynamic student associates. You can listen to podcasts of past talks given at CGHR. If you go to our new YouTube site, you will find a remarkable interview with Professor Saul Mendlovitz about his work and the broader legacy of studying genocide and human rights issues at Rutgers, including Raphael Lemkin’s pioneering efforts in this area. Please also see our list of upcoming event and activities, which you are invited to attend. Welcome!