All political revolutions, not affected by foreign conquest, originate in moral revolutions. The subversion of established institutions is merely one consequence of the previous subversion of established opinions.
John Stuart MillRead
Genocide has two phases: one, destruction of the national pattern of the oppressed group; the other, the imposition of the national pattern of the oppressor. This imposition, in turn, may be made upon the oppressed population which is allowed to remain or upon the territory alone, after removal of the population and the colonization by the oppressor's own nationals.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Genocide involves both destroying the culture of a people and replacing it with that of the oppressor.
Raphael Lemkin's quote highlights the dual nature of genocide: first involves the eradication of the cultural identity and societal patterns of the oppressed group, while the second involves enforcing the culture and norms of the oppressor on the surviving population or the territory. This reflects not only a physical destruction but also a deeper, more insidious form of cultural annihilation where the identity of the oppressed is systematically replaced or erased.
Themes
GenocideOppressionCultureIdentityColonizationHistory
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech addressing human rights, one might quote this to emphasize the importance of cultural preservation.
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