Dynamics of Violence

Violence is embedded in social structure. It follows specific dynamics which make it unpredictable for the individual case but calculable as a social phenomenon - this is the central message of this reader.

To lay persons violence may appear as irruption or the inhuman into a human world. The broad comparison of social, anthropological, and sociological case studies from Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America shows, however, that motives and forms of violence are patterned. Each pattern has its own dynamic of escalation and de-escalation which makes prediction difficult for the individual case. As part of these dynamics appear also restraints to the escalation called inhibitors. The study of these does not promise the construction of violence-free societies but it might allow for targetting interventions for peace in a more accurate manner.

An important element of these studies is the systematic analysis of the difference between the constructed outside appearance of violence and the dynamic system which reproduces it. Thus cultural strategies of wealth accumulation, prestige acquisition, and healing come to the foreground. Contributors to this volume include Alber, Erdmute; Allen, Tim; Elwert, Georg; Feuchtwang, Stephan; Grohs, Gerhard; Helbing, Jürg; Neubert, Dieter; Schmidt, Heike; Schwandner-Sievers, Stephanie; Strecker, Ivo; v. Trotha, Trutz; Waldmann, Peter.