Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses cultural genocide was successfully removed from the language of the text, with the United States (US) playing a leading role. It describes genocide scholars and those in other fields who have begun to turn to Raphael Lemkin’s ideas to re-evaluate the understanding of Lemkin’s concepts of culture, nations, and national groups. The book evaluates US polices, which were characterized as “more humane,” that aimed to eradicate Native cultures by “killing the Indian to save the man.” It reviews the impact of demand for Brazil’s soya and sugarcane on the Brazilian landscape. The book focuses on contemporary culturally destructive policies in Australia, and the colonial structures that produce them. It addresses the so-called Islamic State’s deliberate destruction of cultural heritage in Iraq. The book shows that the attacks on human history exemplify why cultural genocide is such a serious crime.