International Association of Genocide Scholars

The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) is an international academic and professional association focused on the study of genocide, crimes against humanity, and related forms of mass violence. Its stated purpose is to advance research and teaching concerning the nature, causes, consequences, and prevention of genocide, while also supporting policy-oriented work on how mass atrocities can be identified and prevented. Although the association is primarily composed of academics, its membership has also included human-rights activists, students, educators, museum and memorial professionals, policymakers, independent researchers, artists, and specialists in fields including history, sociology, anthropology, political science, economics, psychology, literature, film, and international law. The organization emerged from the growth of genocide studies as an interdisciplinary field during the 1970s and 1980s. Its intellectual background is associated with scholars such as Helen Fein and Leo Kuper, as well as the 1982 genocide conference organized by Israel Charny in Jerusalem. The association was established in 1994 under the name Association of Genocide Scholars. Its first conference took place in June 1995 at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, with approximately fifty participants. The meeting reflected both the small scale of the emerging field and major debates about the comparative study of the Holocaust and other genocides. In 2001, the organization adopted its present name, International Association of Genocide Scholars. The accompanying bylaw changes required at least one officer to come from outside North America and called for conferences to be held regularly beyond the region. Since 2011, its conferences have been held outside the United States, including meetings in Buenos Aires, Yerevan, Brisbane, and Barcelona. A 2025 conference was hosted by the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre. IAGS operates through membership, conferences, scholarly exchange, public statements, and formal resolutions. Its peer-reviewed journal, Genocide Studies and Prevention, is the association's official academic publication. The organization has also adopted resolutions and board statements concerning historical genocides, contemporary mass atrocities, genocide denial, forced displacement, and state repression. These positions have addressed subjects including the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, the Anfal campaign against Kurds in Iraq, Bangladesh in 1971, Darfur, the Rohingya, Uyghurs, Yazidis, Syria, Ukraine, and the treatment of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. The association has not been free of controversy. Some scholars have criticized it as historically too Western-oriented and as overly favorable to military intervention as a prevention strategy. A related scholarly organization, the International Network of Genocide Scholars, was established in 2005 amid disagreements about the balance between research and public declarations and disputes concerning historical and contemporary cases. IAGS has also faced criticism over the transparency and procedure surrounding some resolutions, especially its 2025 resolution concerning Israel's policies and actions in Gaza. Despite these disputes, the organization remains an active international forum for genocide scholarship and prevention debates. Sources described its membership as approximately 500 in 2025.

The IAGS developed from the expansion of genocide studies as an academic field during the late twentieth century. Its intellectual antecedents included work by Helen Fein and Leo Kuper and a 1982 conference in Jerusalem organized by Israel Charny. The association itself was founded in 1994 as the Association of Genocide Scholars by Helen Fein, Israel Charny, Robert Melson, and Roger W. Smith. Its inaugural conference was held in June 1995 at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Approximately fifty people attended, reflecting the field's still limited institutional size. The meeting also included contentious discussion about whether the Holocaust should be treated as uniquely different from other genocides or analyzed comparatively. The organization changed its name to the International Association of Genocide Scholars in 2001. At the same time, its bylaws were revised to strengthen international representation, including a requirement that at least one officer come from outside North America and an expectation that conferences be held regularly outside the region. The association's international orientation expanded over time. Conferences were held in North America during its early period, but since 2011 all reported conferences have taken place outside the United States, including gatherings in Buenos Aires in 2011, Yerevan in 2015, Brisbane in 2017, and Barcelona in 2023. The 2025 meeting was hosted in Johannesburg. IAGS's activities combine academic exchange with public engagement. It organizes conferences, supports interdisciplinary research and teaching, publishes through its official peer-reviewed journal Genocide Studies and Prevention, and issues formal resolutions or executive-board statements. Its membership rules allow participation by non-academics, although the association has described its membership as primarily academic. Reported membership grew from 339 members in January 2012 to approximately 500 in 2015 and again around 500 in 2025, although the number of members publicly listed on its website varied during 2023–2025. The association has considered cases across different regions and historical periods. Its statements have addressed the Armenian genocide, genocide and mass violence against Assyrians and Greeks in the late Ottoman period, the Holocaust and Holocaust denial, the Anfal campaign against Iraqi Kurds, the 1971 Bangladesh genocide, Darfur, Zimbabwe, Syria, ISIS crimes against Yazidis and other minorities, the treatment of Uyghurs in China, violence against Rohingya communities, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and events affecting Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. These interventions have made IAGS both a scholarly body and a participant in public debates over historical recognition, legal terminology, denialism, and atrocity prevention. Its public role has also generated criticism. Some scholars have argued that the association was historically too Western-centered and insufficiently attentive to the possibility that global political and economic structures can themselves contribute to genocide. Others criticized what they viewed as an overly optimistic understanding of Western military intervention as a prevention tool. A separate organization, the International Network of Genocide Scholars, was founded in 2005 amid disagreements over the balance between research and declarations and disputes regarding Israel, the Deir Yassin massacre, and the interpretation of genocide scholarship. The 2025 Gaza resolution became a major controversy. IAGS reported that a substantial majority of participating voters supported the resolution, while critics questioned the voting process, the absence of a broader membership debate, and the resolution's treatment of Hamas and Israeli conduct. Former board member Sara Brown criticized the process and reported difficulty publishing a dissent. An opposing open letter promoted by the Academic Engagement Network called for retraction, but reporting later raised questions about the authenticity of some listed signatories and the standards used to verify them. These disputes illustrate the continuing tension within IAGS between scholarly analysis, institutional advocacy, and public political accountability.

• 2025

  Gaza resolution and Johannesburg conference

  [1]International Association of Genocide Scholarsen.wikipedia.org

  The association adopted a disputed resolution concerning genocide in Gaza and held its latest reported conference in Johannesburg.

• 2011

  Conferences move outside the United States

  [1]International Association of Genocide Scholarsen.wikipedia.org

  IAGS began a period in which all reported conferences were held outside the United States, reinforcing its international orientation.

• 2005

  International Network of Genocide Scholars established

  [1]International Association of Genocide Scholarsen.wikipedia.org

  A parallel scholarly network was formed amid disagreements within the field about research priorities, public declarations, and interpretations of specific cases.

• 2001

  Organization becomes international association

  [1]International Association of Genocide Scholarsen.wikipedia.org

  The body adopted the IAGS name and revised its bylaws to increase non-North-American representation and international conference locations.

• 1995

  First conference in Williamsburg

  [1]International Association of Genocide Scholarsen.wikipedia.org

  The first conference took place at the College of William & Mary with about fifty participants.

• 1994

  Association of Genocide Scholars founded

  [1]International Association of Genocide Scholarsen.wikipedia.org

  The organization was established by Helen Fein, Israel Charny, Robert Melson, and Roger W. Smith.

• 1982

  Jerusalem genocide conference

  [1]International Association of Genocide Scholarsen.wikipedia.org

  Israel Charny organized a conference in Jerusalem that helped consolidate the scholarly networks from which the later association emerged.

An interdisciplinary, international scholarly association connecting researchers, educators, practitioners, and public-interest professionals working on genocide, mass atrocities, and prevention.

• Peer-reviewed academic journal

  Genocide Studies and Prevention

  The official peer-reviewed journal associated with IAGS. It publishes interdisciplinary research on genocide, mass atrocities, historical interpretation, prevention, education, law, and policy.

• Academic events · 1995

  International conferences

  Regular scholarly meetings provide a forum for presenting research, debating definitions and cases, networking across disciplines, and discussing prevention policies. Conference locations have increasingly reflected the association's international membership.

• Scholarly advocacy

  Resolutions and public statements

  IAGS members and governing bodies issue resolutions and statements on genocide, denialism, mass atrocities, forced displacement, and related policy questions. Resolutions generally require more than two-thirds approval and participation by more than one-fifth of members.

• 2025

  Dispute over Gaza resolution process

  The association's resolution stating that Israel's policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide generated criticism about voting transparency, treatment of dissent, and the resolution's analysis of Hamas and Israeli conduct. An opposing open letter also faced allegations that some signatories were unauthorized or insufficiently verified.

  Source

Read more

• 2025

  Resolution on genocide in GazaOther

  Background

  The association considered the legal characterization of Israel's policies and actions in Gaza amid the continuing war and international debate over genocide.

  Action taken

  IAGS published a resolution stating that those policies and actions meet the legal definition of genocide.

  Aftermath

  The resolution prompted internal and external criticism concerning procedure, dissent, evidentiary interpretation, and the role of Hamas in the analysis.

  Source

• 2001

  Adoption of the International Association of Genocide Scholars nameStrategy

  Background

  The original organization had operated as the Association of Genocide Scholars and was seeking a more explicitly international structure.

  Action taken

  The association changed its name and amended its bylaws to require international officer representation and regular conferences outside North America.

  Aftermath

  The change established the organization's current identity and supported a more geographically diverse conference program.

  Source

1. 1International Association of Genocide Scholarsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2International Association of Genocide Scholars official websitegenocidescholars.org