Defining Genocide: A Biological Perspective of Mass Burials in Srebrenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Abstract

Genocide has long been an instrument of warfare; augmenting domination by terrorizing targeted populations. The definition of genocide itself is broad and often varies among researchers, with context and specific circumstances continuously changing. The aim of this study is to apply a biological perspective to genocide, specifically to genocidal mass burials. Using data from an event already classified internationally as genocidal, the Bosnian Wars of the early 1990s; this study will look at skeletal features and burial characteristics found in the mass burials of Srebrenica, Bosnia. Reoccurring patterns are then catalogued in an attempt to create an inventory of features that indicate genocide. Ideally, these indicators could then be applied to unclassified mass burials to aid in determining whether they are products of genocide.