ABSTRACT
Cultural genocide is the destruction of a culture of a people as opposed to the people themselves. This chapter examines the phenomenon of cultural genocide and problematizes some of its aspects. It theorizes the concept by distinguishing between the destruction of material culture and the assault on non-material culture. Departing from the early definition of cultural genocide by Raphael Lemkin, the chapter relates his work to that of critical sociolinguists who have analyzed the question of forced linguistic change of minorities. It discusses the usefulness of cultural genocide as an analytical category and argues that whereas material culture can be destroyed in a matter of hours, assaults on non-material culture are longer processes much more difficult to steer or perceive. This chapter discusses a relatively under-studied theme related to genocide: the destruction of material and non-material culture.
