Blocking out, turning a blind eye, shutting off, not wanting to know, wearing blinkers, seeing what we want to see … these are all expressions of ‘denial’.
When we deny, are we aware of what we are doing or is this an unconscious defence mechanism to protect us from unwelcome truths?
Can there be cultures of denial?
Is denial always so bad – or do we need positive illusions to retain our sanity?
States of Denial is the first comprehensive study of both the personal and political ways in which uncomfortable realities are avoided and evaded. It ranges from clinical studies of depression, to media images of suffering, to explanations of the ‘passive bystander’ and ‘compassion fatigue’. The book shows how organized atrocities – the Holocaust and other genocides, torture, and political massacres – are denied by perpetrators and by bystanders, those who stand by and do nothing.
Congratulations to Stanley Cohen on winning the American Society of Criminology’s International Division Award for outstanding publication of 2000-2001 for States of Denial!