Theories of violence

Abstract

Violence is ubiquitous in known human history yet it is rarely been the object of political and social theory in its own right, more often being subsumed within other topics or the assumed antithesis and exception to pacified societies. This chapter explores conceptions of violence, in particular, minimalist and comprehensive ones, gendered violence and theories of sacrifice, the sacred and the historical evolution of violence and its regulation. It does not present an integrated theory of violence, since none yet exists. It does though show how in some key theorists (Bourdieu, Collins, Arendt, Freud, Adorno, Girard and Elias) violence appears as multi-sided and contradictory. This illustrates the complexity of violence and the ways it is embedded in the human condition. Violence is a relational act in which the victim, whether human or animal, is viewed not with respect but as a mere object of potential harm and degradation.