Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies
Encyclopedia
The Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (MIGS) is a research institute
based at Concordia University
in Montreal
, Canada
. It was founded in 1986 by members of the departments of History
and Sociology
/Anthropology
. Well known in North America
for its Will to Intervene (W2I
) Project, the Institute specializes in research and teaching on the subject of genocide
and human rights
.
has been a Senior Fellow at MIGS since 2006 and cofounded the W2I
Project. MIGS also employs a large number of intern
s who volunteer on the W2I
Project, or the Media Monitoring Project.
MIGS develops and manages major research programs focused on the prevention of genocide and crimes against humanity, educates comparatively about genocide, and helps survivors and their children end their isolation by building bridges with other survivors of genocide and mass atrocity
crimes. Chalk, Frank, Dallaire, Roméo, Matthews, Kyle, Barqueiro, Carla and Doyle, Simon, “Mobilizing the Will to Intervene: Leadership to Prevent Mass Atrocities” (McGill Queens University Press, Montreal:2010), p. 189
Drawing on its research, MIGS aims to further understandings of the history, sociology and international legal frameworks pertaining to genocide, crimes against humanity, and reconciliation
in their wake. MIGS advances these goals by organising workshop
s and conference
s, sponsoring lecture
s, issuing reports, preparing books and articles, and training students who specialise in genocide studies at undergraduate, masters and doctoral levels. MIGS works locally, nationally and internationally to educate members of the public, the media, and government. Chalk, Frank, Dallaire, Roméo, Matthews, Kyle, Barqueiro, Carla and Doyle, Simon, “Mobilizing the Will to Intervene: Leadership to Prevent Mass Atrocities” (McGill Queens University Press, Montreal:2010), p. 189
initiatives and projects which aim to collect and disseminate knowledge about the historical origins of mass killings. Graduate and Postgraduate students and faculty at Concordia have contributed to the Occasional Paper Series, which is available on the institute’s website. The institute collects archives on holocaust memoirs, radio transcripts and magazines from during the time of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide
, and memoirs from the Ukrainian Famine.
MIGS’ Will to Intervene Project aims to understand how to mobilise domestic political will in order to prevent or halt genocide and mass atrocities. Chalk, Frank, Dallaire, Roméo, Matthews, Kyle, Barqueiro, Carla and Doyle, Simon, “Mobilizing the Will to Intervene: Leadership to Prevent Mass Atrocities” (McGill Queens University Press, Montreal:2010), p. 189 The institute published a policy report in 2009 entitled “Mobilizing the Will to Intervene: Leadership and Action to Prevent Mass Atrocities” as part of its Will to Intervene Project. This report was then published as a book in 2010 by McGill-Queens University Press. This report was based on over 80 interview
s carried out with high level Canadian and American policy makers and makes recommendations to these governments about how to better mobilise domestic political will.
Other initiatives include the Media Monitoring Project, which is carried out by MIGS interns. This project monitors the domestic media, both government owned and privately owned, in high priority countries such as Sudan
, Cote d'Ivoire
, Somalia
and the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to act as an early warning system to help prevent genocide and mass atrocity crimes. When writing their reports, the interns are focus their scrutiny and analysis on: 1) hate propaganda, 2) omissions of key information from news broadcasts, 3) evidence of increasing government control over the distribution of news, 4) the emergence of novel, participatory media vehicles known to deeply penetrate listeners’ psyche
s, and 5) reports of victims murder
ed on the basis of their ethnicity, nationality
, race, religion
, political affiliation, and social status
.
Research institute
A research institute is an establishment endowed for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research...
based at Concordia University
Concordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was founded in 1986 by members of the departments of History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
/Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. Well known in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
for its Will to Intervene (W2I
W2I
The Will to Intervene Project is a research initiative created by Lieut. General Roméo Dallaire, Senior Fellow at the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies , and Dr. Frank Chalk, MIGS Director that aims to operationalize the principles of the Responsibility to Protect within...
) Project, the Institute specializes in research and teaching on the subject of genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
.
About
The institute was founded by Dr Frank Chalk, a professor in the History Department and current MIGS Director, and Dr Kurt Jonassohn, now a retired professor from the Sociology Department. The institute’s current focus is on its Will to Intervene Project, which is led by Kyle Matthews. LGen (ret’d) The Honourable Roméo DallaireRoméo Dallaire
Lieutenant-General Roméo Antonius Dallaire, is a Canadian senator, humanitarian, author and retired general...
has been a Senior Fellow at MIGS since 2006 and cofounded the W2I
W2I
The Will to Intervene Project is a research initiative created by Lieut. General Roméo Dallaire, Senior Fellow at the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies , and Dr. Frank Chalk, MIGS Director that aims to operationalize the principles of the Responsibility to Protect within...
Project. MIGS also employs a large number of intern
Intern
Internship is a system of onthejob training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. They may also be as young as middle school or in...
s who volunteer on the W2I
W2I
The Will to Intervene Project is a research initiative created by Lieut. General Roméo Dallaire, Senior Fellow at the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies , and Dr. Frank Chalk, MIGS Director that aims to operationalize the principles of the Responsibility to Protect within...
Project, or the Media Monitoring Project.
MIGS develops and manages major research programs focused on the prevention of genocide and crimes against humanity, educates comparatively about genocide, and helps survivors and their children end their isolation by building bridges with other survivors of genocide and mass atrocity
Atrocity
Atrocity or Atrocities may refer to:* Atrocity , a German metal band* Atrocities , the fourth album by Christian Death* Atrocious , a 2010 Spanish film...
crimes. Chalk, Frank, Dallaire, Roméo, Matthews, Kyle, Barqueiro, Carla and Doyle, Simon, “Mobilizing the Will to Intervene: Leadership to Prevent Mass Atrocities” (McGill Queens University Press, Montreal:2010), p. 189
Drawing on its research, MIGS aims to further understandings of the history, sociology and international legal frameworks pertaining to genocide, crimes against humanity, and reconciliation
Reconciliation
Reconciliation may variously refer to:* Bank reconciliation* Truth and reconciliation commission-Religion:* Sacrament of Penance , also known as Reconciliation...
in their wake. MIGS advances these goals by organising workshop
Workshop
A workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods...
s and conference
Academic conference
An academic conference or symposium is a conference for researchers to present and discuss their work. Together with academic or scientific journals, conferences provide an important channel for exchange of information between researchers.-Overview:Conferences are usually composed of various...
s, sponsoring lecture
Lecture
thumb|A lecture on [[linear algebra]] at the [[Helsinki University of Technology]]A lecture is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history,...
s, issuing reports, preparing books and articles, and training students who specialise in genocide studies at undergraduate, masters and doctoral levels. MIGS works locally, nationally and internationally to educate members of the public, the media, and government. Chalk, Frank, Dallaire, Roméo, Matthews, Kyle, Barqueiro, Carla and Doyle, Simon, “Mobilizing the Will to Intervene: Leadership to Prevent Mass Atrocities” (McGill Queens University Press, Montreal:2010), p. 189
Initiatives and projects
Over the years, MIGS has developed a number of researchResearch
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
initiatives and projects which aim to collect and disseminate knowledge about the historical origins of mass killings. Graduate and Postgraduate students and faculty at Concordia have contributed to the Occasional Paper Series, which is available on the institute’s website. The institute collects archives on holocaust memoirs, radio transcripts and magazines from during the time of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
, and memoirs from the Ukrainian Famine.
MIGS’ Will to Intervene Project aims to understand how to mobilise domestic political will in order to prevent or halt genocide and mass atrocities. Chalk, Frank, Dallaire, Roméo, Matthews, Kyle, Barqueiro, Carla and Doyle, Simon, “Mobilizing the Will to Intervene: Leadership to Prevent Mass Atrocities” (McGill Queens University Press, Montreal:2010), p. 189 The institute published a policy report in 2009 entitled “Mobilizing the Will to Intervene: Leadership and Action to Prevent Mass Atrocities” as part of its Will to Intervene Project. This report was then published as a book in 2010 by McGill-Queens University Press. This report was based on over 80 interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
s carried out with high level Canadian and American policy makers and makes recommendations to these governments about how to better mobilise domestic political will.
Other initiatives include the Media Monitoring Project, which is carried out by MIGS interns. This project monitors the domestic media, both government owned and privately owned, in high priority countries such as Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, Cote d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
and the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to act as an early warning system to help prevent genocide and mass atrocity crimes. When writing their reports, the interns are focus their scrutiny and analysis on: 1) hate propaganda, 2) omissions of key information from news broadcasts, 3) evidence of increasing government control over the distribution of news, 4) the emergence of novel, participatory media vehicles known to deeply penetrate listeners’ psyche
Psyche
- Psychology :* Psyche , a concept of intangible self* Psyche , a periodical on the study of consciousness* Soul in the Bible, or psyche , spirit or soul in philosophy and theology- Art :...
s, and 5) reports of victims murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed on the basis of their ethnicity, nationality
Nationality
Nationality is membership of a nation or sovereign state, usually determined by their citizenship, but sometimes by ethnicity or place of residence, or based on their sense of national identity....
, race, religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, political affiliation, and social status
Social status
In sociology or anthropology, social status is the honor or prestige attached to one's position in society . It may also refer to a rank or position that one holds in a group, for example son or daughter, playmate, pupil, etc....
.