Behind Barbed Wire: An Encyclopedia of Concentration and Prisoner-of-War Camps

An indispensable reference on concentration camps, death camps, prisoner-of-war camps, and military prisons offering broad historical coverage as well as detailed analysis of the nature of captivity in modern conflict.

This comprehensive reference work examines internment, forced labor, and extermination during times of war and genocide, with a focus on the 20th and 21st centuries and particular attention paid to World War II and recent conflicts in the Middle East. It explores internment as it has been used as a weapon and led to crimes against humanity and is ideal for students of global studies, history, and political science as well as politically and socially aware general readers.

In addition to entries on such notorious camps as Abu Ghraib, Andersonville, Auschwitz, and the Hanoi Hilton, the encyclopedia includes profiles of key perpetrators of camp and prison atrocities and more than a dozen curated and contextualized primary source documents that further illuminate the subject. Primary sources include United Nations documents outlining the treatment of prisoners of war, government reports of infamous camp and prison atrocities, and oral histories from survivors of these notorious facilities.

Maintains a modern focus while providing broad historical context

Covers lesser-known but significant events such as the camps set up by the British for refugees of the Boer Wars that resulted in the deaths of 25,000 people

Provides the context necessary to help students understand the significance of the primary source material in introductions

Studies camps outside of World War II, illustrating their use in numerous other wars and genocides