Conditions of Violence.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gerlach, Christian, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Violence.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (298 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Basel/Berlin/Boston : Walter de Gruyter GmbH, 2024.

Summary:

This book examines mass violence through the lens of social history, emphasizing its roots in social interactions rather than solely attributing it to abstract systems or rogue regimes. By analyzing historical events such as the Rwandan genocide, the Chuknagar massacre, and societal crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, the author seeks to demystify violence and highlight its ordinariness within societal structures. The work introduces two key concepts: 'mass violence as social interaction' and 'conditions of violence', arguing that violence stems from the interplay of individual actions and societal conditions. The book challenges traditional narratives by rejecting hierarchical valuations of human life and focusing on the participatory nature of violence, involving diverse groups and individuals. It uses eyewitness accounts, survivor testimonies, and studies of cultural expressions such as Soviet war films to explore the complexities of violence, its motivations, and its embeddedness in everyday life. The intended audience includes scholars, historians, and readers interested in the social and historical dimensions of violence. Generated by AI.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

List of Abbreviations

1 Introduction

Part I: Mass Violence as Social Interaction

2 Festive Days of Killing: Enacting a New Social Order in Rwanda, 1994

3 Sounds of a Massacre: Chuknagar, East Pakistan, 1971

4 Crowd Violence in East Pakistan/Bangladesh 1971-1972

5 Narratives of Suffering: Soviet Movies About World War II

Part II: Conditions of Violence

6 Famines and Imperialism: For a Different History of World War II

7 COVID-19 as Mass Violence

8 Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Part of the metadata in this record was created by AI, based on the text of the resource.

ISBN:

9783111568737

3111568733

OCLC:

1463098629

Access Restriction:

Open Access Unrestricted online access