Cultural genocide

Cultural genocide or culturicide is an idea described by Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin in 1944, in the same book that invented the term genocide. The destruction of culture was a main component in Lemkin's making of genocide. Though the precise definition of cultural genocide remains debated, the United Nations makes it clear that genocide is "the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group... it does not include political groups or so called 'cultural genocide'" and that "Cultural destruction is not enough, nor does an intention to simply disperse a group" thus this is what "makes the crime of genocide so unique". While the Armenian Genocide Museum defines culturicide as "acts and measures undertaken to destroy nations' or ethnic groups' culture through spiritual, national, and cultural destruction", which appears to be essentially the same as ethnocide. The drafters of the 1948 Genocide Convention initially considered using the term, but later dropped it from inclusion.

Cultural Genocide Media

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  Looting of Polish artwork at the Zachęta building by German forces during the Occupation of Poland, 1944

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  Map showing the distribution of the Irish language in 1871