ABSTRACT
Genocide involves mass participation in killing, yet many individuals do not kill. Why? This chapter addresses propensity – individual factors that impact an individual’s likelihood of perpetrating genocide. It argues that perpetrators can be disaggregated into professionals and amateurs, eager and reluctant perpetrators, and leaders and followers. Individual motives for participating in genocide are variable and may relate to their experiences and characteristics. However, the most important factors in determining the likelihood of participation in genocide are the individual’s moral disengagement from victims, and their proximity to other perpetrators. During genocide, individuals take on a range of roles, such as perpetrator, bystander, or rescuer. These roles are related to propensity, but also circumstance, and individuals may occupy multiple roles during a genocide. Becoming a perpetrator is a matter of individual interpretation and response to their social context.
