Genealogy and Etymology of Atrocity Crimes

Abstract This chapter examines the development of the three primary categories of atrocity crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. It also includes a brief discussion of the crime of aggression. Each category is explored through the actors responsible for its production, debates over definition and criminological scope, and historical moments in which laws were ratified. We trace the shifting operational boundaries among the three categories through analysis of key court cases from recent decades, each of which addressed questions about group identity or sexual violence in atrocity crime. This article closes by examining the development of new terms for atrocity crime by new key actors. Transcending mere semantics, both past and present conceptual innovations are intended to have significant consequences in law, politics, and scholarship alike.