Lecture Notes: David Stannard on American Holocaust

Introduction

• Speaker: David Stannard
  • Chair of American Studies Department, University of Hawaii
  • Notable work: American Holocaust: Columbus and the Conquest of the New World
• Introduced by Professor Osler
  • Highlights Stannard's contributions to historical scholarship

Overview of Stannard's Work

• American Holocaust (1992)
  • Focus: Violent destruction of indigenous peoples post-Columbus
  • Challenges the narrative surrounding Columbus's 'discovery'
  • Stresses the term "Holocaust" to describe the extent of the destruction
• Other Publications
  • The Puritan Way of Death (1977)
  • Shrinking History: On Freud and the Failure of Psychohistory (1980)
  • Before the Horror: Focus on Hawaii and introduced diseases
  • Honor Killing: White supremacy and political revolution in Hawaii

Conceptual Discussions

• Holocaust Terminology

  • Historical use of "Holocaust" before its association with the Nazi genocide
  • Debate over using "Holocaust" to describe events other than the Jewish Holocaust
  • Importance of recognizing multiple genocides without diminishing the Jewish Holocaust

• Genocide in the Americas

  • Raphael Lemkin's definition of "genocide" includes the destruction of American Indians
  • Debate around "uniqueness" of the Holocaust
  • Stannard argues for recognition of the genocide of indigenous peoples in the Americas

Historical Context and Examples

• Colonial genocides often overlooked in mainstream history
• Specific examples of atrocities in the Americas
  • Virginia and California genocides
  • Spanish conquest impacts in the Caribbean and Latin America

Challenges of Historical Narratives

• Influence of celebratory narratives (e.g., Columbus Day) and resistance to acknowledging genocides
• Role of historians in confronting difficult histories

Contemporary Implications

• Continuing impact of historical genocides on indigenous communities
  • Poverty, health issues, and cultural preservation challenges
• Racism as an ongoing killer in modern societies

Conclusions

• Importance of education and acknowledgment of historical genocides
• The role of historians in correcting misconceptions and advancing truth
• Need for continued dialogue and scholarship on the implications of these histories

Q&A Highlights

• Discussion on causes and persistence of genocides
• Assimilation policies versus outright extermination
• The role of historical memory and education in healing and prevention

Note

These notes capture key points discussed by David Stannard in the context of his lecture. They provide a high-level summary of his arguments and the broader historical and contemporary issues related to the genocide of indigenous peoples in the Americas.