For Alex Alvarez, professor of criminology and criminal justice at Northern Arizona University, his long and successful career studying violence can be attributed to one boyhood question: how could this have happened? And although his research on the Holocaust, genocide, school bullying, as well as bystander facilitation are not what he calls "the most cheery of topics," they continue to lead this inquisitive man to a most lofty and honorable goal.
"As bleak, as depressing, as horrific as work in this area is, the thing that keeps you going is that in whatever little way, maybe you are making a bit of difference," he says. "Maybe you are helping create a less violent world and a safer world for your children and other people's children."
Alvarez has dedicated more than 20 years to this work, trying to unravel questions that occurred to him as a child growing up on military bases across the globe and oftentimes in Germany. Inevitably, the research expanded from the Holocaust to other types of violence as he continued to notice similarities.
"When I began doing work on school violence looking at the language of the bullies and the ideas that enabled them to victimize other people," says Alvarez. "I was stunned to realize that they were articulating the same ideas and processes–those which allow them to systematically victimize kids who were different—as the perpetrators of genocide. These processes were no different except for the context."
Alvarez is not only studying language and its function in violence perpetration, but the growing importance of technology in the classroom and technology as a tool for furthering the cause. For instance, in addition to bringing YouTube clips into the classroom, or facilitating online student forums, Alvarez is turning his own collection of Nazi propaganda images into a one-of-a-kind online resource. Several of his students are coding each image and creating a database, which, when complete, will allow people everywhere to view how propaganda was an "insidious way for Nazis to successfully disseminate messages of intolerance and hatred." This resource can be used to help students and teachers and community groups talk about these difficult, yet relevant, issues.
Considering his belief that good teaching requires social relevance and a balance between the classroom and the lab—a belief that led him to Northern Arizona University in the first place—it is no surprise that Alvarez's time is divided equally between research, community work, and the lecture hall.
"When I'm teaching my course on school violence it helps me think about some of the ideas I'm researching," he says. "I infuse that research into the classroom so that students are presented with up-to-date material, with cutting edge innovations, in terms of what bullying is, how we intervene, and so forth. I like that mix because both help invigorate the other."
And it is also no surprise that Alvarez was chosen as the founding director of NAU's well-known Martin-Springer Institute. "One of the things that this institute was mandated to do was reach out to the community and to teach the lessons of the Holocaust." It was a natural choice and Alvarez continues to enjoy teaching people in Arizona and the southwest about tolerance, prejudice, and bigotry.
Ultimately, for Alvarez, "education is key," and critical thinking and communication are the skills that resonate, preparing a strong Arizona workforce, and creating a safer and more just world.
"Education isn't the antidote for everything," he says. "It's no silver bullet, but the more educated people are, the more aware of these issues they are, the more they can make decisions and choices in their lives that are based upon reality and good thinking skills rather than on myths and prejudices, and the better off we all are."
At the end of the day, Alvarez believes that his work will bring moments of hope and relief. "I do believe that what we are doing is trying to educate people to make a better world and better lives."
