Forgotten and Concealed: The Emblematic Cases of the Assyrian and Romani Genocides

Authors

Riccardo Armillei, Deakin UniversityFollow
Nikki Marczak, Australian Institute for Holocaust and Genocide StudiesFollow
Panayiotis Diamadis, Australian Institute for Holocaust and Genocide StudiesFollow

Abstract

By exploring how the Assyrian and Romani genocides came to be forgotten in official history and collective memory, this paper takes a step towards redress for years of inadvertent neglect and deliberate concealment. In addressing the roles played by scholars and nations, and the effect of international law and government policy, it notes the inaccessibility of evidence, combined with a narrow application of definitions of victim groups, and a focus on written proof of perpetrator intent. Continuing persecution of survivors in the aftermath of the genocides, and government actions to erase the genocides from history, are common to both cases. The dimension of a comparative analysis between two emblematic “hidden” genocides shows that there are many similarities in the process of forgetting that occurred in their respective aftermaths. Developing an understanding of how these genocides came to be ignored and forgotten may provide a foundation for genuine acknowledgment and redress.

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.5038/1911-9933.10.2.1404

Recommended Citation

Armillei, Riccardo; Marczak, Nikki; and Diamadis, Panayiotis (2016) "Forgotten and Concealed: The Emblematic Cases of the Assyrian and Romani Genocides," Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal: Vol. 10: Iss. 2: 98-120.
DOI:

http://dx.doi.org/10.5038/1911-9933.10.2.1404

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