Handicapism is a term of sociological terminology, which describes a theory and a set of practices, to promote unequal and unfair treatment, discrimination and oppression of peoples with apparent or assumed disability, a concept like to racism or sexism. Here, people are categorized by the type of apparent or assumed physical or mental disability and at the same time on this basis assigned each of the groups certain abilities, skills, and/or character traits or denied. (The affiliation to the respective category of Disability as a fundamental determinant of human abilities and characteristics: For example, all autistic people are emotionally cold or are good in calculation; "mentally handicapped", but have a good heart, a sunny disposition ...) Initially, it is not necessarily a negative label.

These stereotypes in turn serve as a reason for Handicapism practices and have an influence on the attitudes and behavior towards the people of the respective group. Also the labeling has effects on the person in each category. Their options for action are limited, and the person's identity changed..

Hans Christian Gerlach is professor of Modern History at the University of Bern. Gerlach is also Associate Editor of the Journal of Genocide Research and author of multiple books dealing with the Hunger Plan, Holocaust and genocide. These include "Krieg, Ernährung, Volkermord: Forschungen zur Deutschen Vernichtungspolitik im Zweiten Weltkrieg" (1998); "Kalkulierte Morde: die Deutsche Wirtschafts- und Vernichtungspolitik in Weissrussland 1941 bis 1944" (1999); "Das letzte Kapitel" (co-authored with and Götz Aly in 2002); and "Sur la conférence de Wannsee" (2002).

Gerlach's article, "Extremely Violent Societies: An Alternative to the Concept of Genocide" has been the subject of great debate among scholars of genocide and violence. In the article, Gerlach challenges the model utilized in trying to understand genocide. Gerlach has previously stirred intense debate among Holocaust historians with his thesis surrounding December 12, 1941 as the date on which Adolf Hitler made the decision to annihilate the European Jews.