PESF Seminar Series #3

The Academy, Israel’s Genocide and the Phases of Denial
Prof Martin Shaw, Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals

Join Zoom Meeting
https://ucl.zoom.us/j/97445147954
Meeting ID: 974 4514 7954


Martin Shaw
is a historical sociologist of war, genocide and global politics. One of the first genocide scholars to recognise Israel’s genocide in Gaza, in October 2023, he has recently published The New Age of Genocide: Intellectual and Political Challenges after Gaza (2025). His other books include War and Genocide (2003), What is Genocide (20107/2015), and Genocide and International Relations (2013). Martin is Research Professor at IBEI, Barcelona, and Emeritus Professor of International Relations and Politics at the University of Sussex. His website is martinshaw.org, he tweets and substacks @martinshawx, and he’s @martinshaw.bsky.social.

This talk will reflect widely on the character of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, what it tells us about the changing face of power, and the challenges of addressing it within the academy, where dominant frameworks of knowledge and denial shape how such violence is interpreted and contested. It will consider these issues in the light of the structural forces shaping and reshaping denial. It will be based on the author’s work, summarised in his linked paper and new book, and his experience of engaging with the Gaza genocide over the last 28 months.

Paper:
The Genocide that Changed the World‘, Journal of Genocide Research, 2025 (open access)