Info
Professor of Politics, Law, and Society
Michael Scott Bryant
Michael S. Bryant is a Professor of History and Legal Studies specializing in the impact of the Holocaust on the law, human rights, German criminal law, and international humanitarian law. He received a B.A. from Ohio State University, a J.D. from Emory University, and a Ph.D. in Modern European History from Ohio State University, and has taught for Ohio State University, the University of Toledo, Bryant University, Creighton University Law School, and the National Judicial College in the areas of history, criminal justice, law, and human rights. He also served as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate in the U.S. Air Force (1990-94). Professor Bryant is the author of Confronting the "Good Death": Nazi Euthanasia on Trial, 1945-53 (University Press of Colorado, 2005) and numerous articles on the postwar adjudication of Nazi-era crimes. He has served as a member of the Peer Review Committee for the Fulbright Senior Specialist Program and is currently a member of the Board of Editors for Human Rights Review. Additionally, he has held fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, the German Exchange Service (DAAD), the U. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Professor Bryant’s study of the major West German "Operation Reinhard" death camp investigations and trials of the 1960’s was published in 2014 by the University of Tennessee Press, winning the Book of the Year Award from the American National Chapter, Association Internationale de Droit Penal. His third book, A World History of War Crimes, was published in the fall of 2015 by Bloomsbury Academic Press in London (the second, significantly expanded edition was published in 2021). In 2020 he published Nazi Crimes and their Punishment (Hackett), which was recognized as an outstanding title by Choice magazine for 2021. In 2021 his co-authored casebook Comparative Law: Global Legal Traditions (Carolina Academic Press) appeared in print, and one year later his co-authored compilation of essays, Hitler's Mein Kampf: Prelude to Genocide (Bloomsbury), was published. He has been interviewed by local, regional, national, and international media, including Time magazine, NPR, The Spectator, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Hearst TV, and many others. Dr. Bryant also serves as the President of the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center in Providence, RI. He is currently working on a documentary film on Chelmno, the Nazis' first death camp (due for release in 2026), and a study of Kurt Schwedersky's investigation into the Treblinka death camp.
Degrees Awarded
Ph D, The Ohio State University
MA, The Ohio State University
JD, Emory University
MTS, Candler School of Theology, Emory University
BA, The Ohio State University
Ph D, The Ohio State University
MA, The Ohio State University
JD, Emory University
MTS, Candler School of Theology, Emory University
BA, The Ohio State University
Selected Publications
Bryant, M. S., “The Auroras of the Final Solution: Intimations of Genocide in Mein Kampf", Bloomsbury Academic.
Bryant, M., Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, Greenwood.
Bryant, M., Nazi Euthanasia Trials, Mimesis.
Bryant, M., Pre-Columbian America and Religious Approaches to Warfare, Greenwood.
Bryant, M., Religion and Warfare in the Ancient Near East, Greenwood.
Bryant, M., Review of Francine Hirsch, Soviet Judgment at Nuremberg, H-Diplo.
Bryant, M., Review of Kaius Tuori, Empire of Law, American Historical Review.
Bryant, M., Teacher's Manual for Comparative Law: Global Legal Traditions, Carolina Academic Press.
Bryant, M., “Nazi Eugenics, Euthanasia, and Medical Ethics Today” , .
Bryant, M.,Michalczyk, J. J.,Michalczyk, S., Hitler's Mein Kampf and the Holocaust, Bloomsbury.
Bryant, M. S., Preface, De Gruyter, 2025.
Bryant, M., “The Nuremberg Principles and Constraints on Armed Conflict: Change and Continuity in the Effort to Limit Warfare in World History", Bloomsbury, 2025.
Bryant, M., “Trump’s die-hard support may be explained by one of his most misunderstood character traits – ‘charisma’” , The Conversation, 2024.
Bryant, M., Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, encyclopedia article, 2023.
Bryant, M., Pre-Columbian America and Religious Approaches to Warfare, encyclopedia article, 2023.
Bryant, M., Religion and Warfare in the Ancient Near East, encyclopedia article, 2023.
Bryant, M.,Sedgwick, J., Rendering Justice, , 2023.
Bryant, M., Review of Defeating impunity: Attempts at international justice in Europe since 1914, Comparative Legal History, 2023.
Bryant, M., Review of Kaius Tuori, Empire of Law: Nazi Germany, Exile Scholars and the Battle for the Future of Europe , American Historical Review , 2023.
Bryant, M., Nazi Eugenics, Euthanasia, and Medical Ethics Today, Penn State University, 2022.
Bryant, M., The best books to ponder the worst of the Nazis' crimes, Shepherd, 2022.
Bryant, M., Confronting the "Good Death," paperback edition, University Press of Colorado, 2022.
Bryant, M., Mein Kampf and the Holocaust: A Prelude to Genocide, , 2022.
Bryant, M., Nazi Euthanasia Trials, Minority Reports, 2022.
Bryant, M., “The Auroras of the Final Solution: Intimations of Genocide in Mein Kampf", Bloomsbury, 2022.
Bryant, M., German Violations of the Law of War, Routledge, 2021.
Bryant, M., German Violations of the Law of War, Routledge, 2021.
Bryant, M. S., Comparative Law: Global Legal Traditions, Carolina Academic Press, 2021.
Bryant, M., Review of Verena Christ, Täter von Grafeneck: Vier Ärzte als Angeklagte im Tübinger “Euthanasie—Prozess 1949, Central European History , 2021.
Sedgewick, J., "Rendering Justice", Oxford University Press, 2021.
Bryant, M., A World History of War Crimes (2nd, substantially revised edition), Bloomsbury, 2021.
Bryant, M., Review of Annette Weinke, Law, History, and Justice: Debating German State Crimes in the Long Twentieth Century, American Historical Review, 2020.
Bryant, M., "Canaries in the Mineshaft of American Democracy: North American Genocide in the Thought of Raphael Lemkin", Journal of Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal, 2020.
Bryant, M., Nazi Crimes and their Punishment, 1943-1950: A Short History with Documents, Hackett Publishing, 2020.
Bryant, M., Review of Mary Fulbrook, Reckonings: Legacies of Nazi Persecution and the Quest for Justice, History: Reviews of New Books, 2019.
Bryant, M., “German Courts in the Maelstrom of Criminal Guilt: the Career of Functional Liability in Nazi death camp trials, 1963-2016”, , 2017.
Bryant, M., “The Death Camp as a Criminal Organization. Theories of Systemic Criminality in Nazi Death Camp Trials, , 2017.
Bryant, M., Review of John Cox, To Kill a People: Genocide in the Twentieth Century, World History Connected, 2017.
Bryant, M., A World History of War Crimes: the Law of War from Antiquity to the 21st Century, Bloomsbury Academic, 2015.
Bryant, M., Eyewitness to Genocide, University of Tennessee Press, 2014.
Bryant, M., International Criminal Court, encyclopedia, 2013.
Bryant, M., The Nuremberg War Crimes Trial, encyclopedia, 2013.
Bryant, M., Torture, encyclopedia entry, 2013.
Bryant, M., “American Military Justice from the Revolution to the UCMJ: The Hard Journey from Command Authority to Due Process”, Creighton International and Comparative Law Journal , 2013.
Bryant, M., “Eichmann in Jerusalem—and in West Germany: Eichmann Trial Witnesses and the West German Prosecution of Operation Reinhard Crimes, 1958-1966”, Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review, 2012.
Bryant, M. S., “The Auroras of the Final Solution: Intimations of Genocide in Mein Kampf", Bloomsbury Academic.
Bryant, M., Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, Greenwood.
Bryant, M., Nazi Euthanasia Trials, Mimesis.
Bryant, M., Pre-Columbian America and Religious Approaches to Warfare, Greenwood.
Bryant, M., Religion and Warfare in the Ancient Near East, Greenwood.
Bryant, M., Review of Francine Hirsch, Soviet Judgment at Nuremberg, H-Diplo.
Bryant, M., Review of Kaius Tuori, Empire of Law, American Historical Review.
Bryant, M., Teacher's Manual for Comparative Law: Global Legal Traditions, Carolina Academic Press.
Bryant, M., “Nazi Eugenics, Euthanasia, and Medical Ethics Today” , .
Bryant, M.,Michalczyk, J. J.,Michalczyk, S., Hitler's Mein Kampf and the Holocaust, Bloomsbury.
Bryant, M. S., Preface, De Gruyter, 2025.
Bryant, M., “The Nuremberg Principles and Constraints on Armed Conflict: Change and Continuity in the Effort to Limit Warfare in World History", Bloomsbury, 2025.
Bryant, M., “Trump’s die-hard support may be explained by one of his most misunderstood character traits – ‘charisma’” , The Conversation, 2024.
Bryant, M., Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, encyclopedia article, 2023.
Bryant, M., Pre-Columbian America and Religious Approaches to Warfare, encyclopedia article, 2023.
Bryant, M., Religion and Warfare in the Ancient Near East, encyclopedia article, 2023.
Bryant, M.,Sedgwick, J., Rendering Justice, , 2023.
Bryant, M., Review of Defeating impunity: Attempts at international justice in Europe since 1914, Comparative Legal History, 2023.
Bryant, M., Review of Kaius Tuori, Empire of Law: Nazi Germany, Exile Scholars and the Battle for the Future of Europe , American Historical Review , 2023.
Bryant, M., Nazi Eugenics, Euthanasia, and Medical Ethics Today, Penn State University, 2022.
Bryant, M., The best books to ponder the worst of the Nazis' crimes, Shepherd, 2022.
Bryant, M., Confronting the "Good Death," paperback edition, University Press of Colorado, 2022.
Bryant, M., Mein Kampf and the Holocaust: A Prelude to Genocide, , 2022.
Bryant, M., Nazi Euthanasia Trials, Minority Reports, 2022.
Bryant, M., “The Auroras of the Final Solution: Intimations of Genocide in Mein Kampf", Bloomsbury, 2022.
Bryant, M., German Violations of the Law of War, Routledge, 2021.
Bryant, M., German Violations of the Law of War, Routledge, 2021.
Bryant, M. S., Comparative Law: Global Legal Traditions, Carolina Academic Press, 2021.
Bryant, M., Review of Verena Christ, Täter von Grafeneck: Vier Ärzte als Angeklagte im Tübinger “Euthanasie—Prozess 1949, Central European History , 2021.
Sedgewick, J., "Rendering Justice", Oxford University Press, 2021.
Bryant, M., A World History of War Crimes (2nd, substantially revised edition), Bloomsbury, 2021.
Bryant, M., Review of Annette Weinke, Law, History, and Justice: Debating German State Crimes in the Long Twentieth Century, American Historical Review, 2020.
Bryant, M., "Canaries in the Mineshaft of American Democracy: North American Genocide in the Thought of Raphael Lemkin", Journal of Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal, 2020.
Bryant, M., Nazi Crimes and their Punishment, 1943-1950: A Short History with Documents, Hackett Publishing, 2020.
Bryant, M., Review of Mary Fulbrook, Reckonings: Legacies of Nazi Persecution and the Quest for Justice, History: Reviews of New Books, 2019.
Bryant, M., “German Courts in the Maelstrom of Criminal Guilt: the Career of Functional Liability in Nazi death camp trials, 1963-2016”, , 2017.
Bryant, M., “The Death Camp as a Criminal Organization. Theories of Systemic Criminality in Nazi Death Camp Trials, , 2017.
Bryant, M., Review of John Cox, To Kill a People: Genocide in the Twentieth Century, World History Connected, 2017.
Bryant, M., A World History of War Crimes: the Law of War from Antiquity to the 21st Century, Bloomsbury Academic, 2015.
Bryant, M., Eyewitness to Genocide, University of Tennessee Press, 2014.
Bryant, M., International Criminal Court, encyclopedia, 2013.
Bryant, M., The Nuremberg War Crimes Trial, encyclopedia, 2013.
Bryant, M., Torture, encyclopedia entry, 2013.
Bryant, M., “American Military Justice from the Revolution to the UCMJ: The Hard Journey from Command Authority to Due Process”, Creighton International and Comparative Law Journal , 2013.
Bryant, M., “Eichmann in Jerusalem—and in West Germany: Eichmann Trial Witnesses and the West German Prosecution of Operation Reinhard Crimes, 1958-1966”, Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review, 2012.
Awards and Honors
CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title for 2021 for Nazi Crimes and their Punishment, 2021
Research and Publication Award, 2016
Book of the Year Award, 2014
Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year, 2014
Visiting Scholar, Cornell University, 2010
Senior Specialist Grant, 2009
summer stipend, 2009
Silberman Followup Grant, 2008
Summer Research Stipend, 2006
TransCoop Grant, 2006
Eugene M. Kayden University Press of Colorado Book Award, 2005
Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, 2000
Dissertation Grant, 1999
Eugene Roseboom Award for Excellence in Scholarship, 1996
CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title for 2021 for Nazi Crimes and their Punishment, 2021
Research and Publication Award, 2016
Book of the Year Award, 2014
Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year, 2014
Visiting Scholar, Cornell University, 2010
Senior Specialist Grant, 2009
summer stipend, 2009
Silberman Followup Grant, 2008
Summer Research Stipend, 2006
TransCoop Grant, 2006
Eugene M. Kayden University Press of Colorado Book Award, 2005
Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, 2000
Dissertation Grant, 1999
Eugene Roseboom Award for Excellence in Scholarship, 1996
Teaching Interests
History of the Holocaust; history of international humanitarian law; history of war crimes; history of law; anthropology of law; ethics
History of the Holocaust; history of international humanitarian law; history of war crimes; history of law; anthropology of law; ethics
Research Interests
History of Law, Ethics, World History, International Humanitarian Law, Human Rights, German History, Law and Society, Modern European History, History of the Holocaust
History of Law, Ethics, World History, International Humanitarian Law, Human Rights, German History, Law and Society, Modern European History, History of the Holocaust
Professional Memberships
Austrian Research Center for Post-War Trials Advisory Board
Board of Editors, Human Rights Review
Georgia Bar Association
German Studies Association
Member, Peer Review Committee for the Fulbright Specialist Program
Phi Beta Kappa
Phi Kappa Phi
The American Historical Association
The American Society of Nationalities
Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center
German Embassy
Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center
American Friends of the Documentation Center of the Austrian Resistance
New England Regional World History Association
International Association of Criminal Law
Phi Alpha Theta
Organizing Committee, “Commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials (1945-2015)”
Austrian Research Center for Post-War Trials Advisory Board
Board of Editors, Human Rights Review
Georgia Bar Association
German Studies Association
Member, Peer Review Committee for the Fulbright Specialist Program
Phi Beta Kappa
Phi Kappa Phi
The American Historical Association
The American Society of Nationalities
Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center
German Embassy
Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center
American Friends of the Documentation Center of the Austrian Resistance
New England Regional World History Association
International Association of Criminal Law
Phi Alpha Theta
Organizing Committee, “Commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials (1945-2015)”