Project Title: Genocide and Hope: Studies in the Architecture of Oppression and the Redemptive Possibilities of Nonviolence

UCLA PI Name: Vinay Lal

E-Mail: vlal@history.ucla.edu

Division/Department: History

Expected Weekly Time Commitment: 4-10 hours a week

Job Description:

I am Professor of History at UCLA and have in progress a four-book project on genocide, violence, and nonviolence. Gandhi’s salt satyagraha at Dandi, India, opened the world to the transformative and performative aspects of mass nonviolent resistance; Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was interned, was a prison “university” and seeded the idea of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. “Auschwitz” is the reigning metonym for the Holocaust—an unprecedented combination of technological ingenuity, barbarism, and gruesome violence. Similarly, “Hiroshima” has transcended its name, suggesting some extraordinary moral transgression on the part of humanity. The twinned global history of violence and nonviolence is the subject of this unique project. The student who works with me on this project will get academic credit under the SRP-99 program — either 1 or 2 credits depending on how many hours they can put into it. They will help with creating bibliographies, doing internet research, reading and highlighting material, and possibly translation work if they have competence in any of the languages mentioned in the “application instructions”.

Application Instructions:

Students can earn 1 academic credit for 4-5 hours of work a week and 2 credits for 8-10 hours of work a week. I need someone with a minimum 3.75 GPA, excellent writing skills, and intellectual interests in history, literature, politics, and related subjects. Students with an interest in this project should send me an email or covering letter describing their interest and what qualifications, if any, they may bring to the project, and a CV as well. This position can begin as early as Week 2. The position is available for up to two students. Students who fulfill the stated requirements and can read at least one of the following languages — German, Japanese, Gujarati, Hindi, French, Polish, Arabic, and Hebrew — will be given preference. However, knowledge of any of languages is not required. My email is vlal@history.ucla.edu.