Genocide and Heroism

This entry offers a brief examination of the portrayal of heroes, often referred to as “rescuers” in times of genocide. The entry looks first at heroism at large during these unthinkable occurrences, then the complexities of those called “hero.” It then looks at how heroism is taught as part of a broader context of genocide studies in the classroom, and finally, which heroes are most likely to become the focus of such studies. The entry uses three distinct genocides to generate examples of how heroism is portrayed in each one, first in the Holocaust, then in subsequent genocide in Cambodia (1975–1979) and genocide in Rwanda (1994). The entry concludes with brief thoughts about heroism in times of genocide by the author.