O genocídio e o fim das Teorias das Relações Internacionais

Abstract

Genocide is one of the most heinous crimes against humanity, but the understanding of the phenomenon, as well as the field of study about this object, are still very restricted, which makes it difficult to present and eradicate the issue. This article argues, then, that the discipline of International Relations has a significant contribution to give to Genocide Studies. The concept of genocide, therefore, is introduced to the debate about the “end of theory” in International Relations, questioning if this object could be most adequately studied through general Theories or through middle range theories originated from testing hypotheses. The conclusion of this work, achieved through substantive, normative and methodological arguments, is that, given the present stage of research on genocide, it is more interesting to carry out investigations using general Theories, so that, among others, variables, indicators, and values necessary for hypotheses testing can be revealed.