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Topocide is the deliberate alteration or destruction of a locale through industrial expansion and change, so that its original landscape and character are destroyed. [1] Topocide can be the result of deliberate industrial expansion, as when industries form, then the people's center of life revolves around that industry. New jobs are formed and the environmental and cultural landscape is forever changed.[ citation needed]

The destruction of the city of Dresden during World War II is cited as a key example of domicide.

A related term is Domicide (from Latin domus, meaning home or abode, and caedo, meaning deliberate killing) the destruction of home; the two may be viewed as synonyms or they may be opposed, with topocide referring to destruction from the point of view of the perpetrator(s) and domicide from the perspective of those affected. [2] In a human rights context, domicide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of housing and basic infrastructure, making an area uninhabitable. [3] The concept of domicide originated in the 1970s, but only assumed its present meaning in 2022, after a report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing. [3] [4] [5] Historical examples of domicide include the destruction of Dresden at the end of World War II, the Khmer Rouge's destruction in Cambodia, [6] and the destruction of Gaza in the Israel-Hamas War. [7] Experts have argued that international law should be amended to consider domicide a war crime. [8]

See also

References

  1. ^ Swanson, Kelly (2009). AP Human Geography 2009. Kaplan. p. 153.
  2. ^ Porteous, Douglas; Sandra E. Smith (2001). Domicide: The Global Destruction Of Home. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. p. 12. ISBN  9780773569614.
  3. ^ a b "Amid Israeli Destruction in Gaza, a New Crime Against Humanity Emerges: Domicide". Haaretz. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  4. ^ "Report of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context, Balakrishnan Rajagopal (A/77/190) [EN/AR/RU/ZH] - World | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2022-10-28. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  5. ^ ""Domicide" must be recognised as an international crime: UN expert". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. October 28, 2022.
  6. ^ Collins, Andrew E (2009). Disaster and Development. Routledge. p. 109. ISBN  9780203879238.
  7. ^ Wintour, Patrick (7 December 2023). "Widespread destruction in Gaza puts concept of 'domicide' in focus". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  8. ^ Rajagopal, Balakrishnan (2024-01-29). "Opinion | Domicide: The Mass Destruction of Homes Should Be a Crime Against Humanity". The New York Times. ISSN  0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-29.

Further reading