What can the analysis of violence and terror tell us about the modern world? Why is violence often used to achieve religious, cultural or political goals? Can we understand the search for the extreme that increasingly shapes violence today?
From 1960s student movements to today's global jihad, this text explores the factors and debates shaping violence and terrorism in our contemporary society. Each chapter confronts examples of disturbing terrorist acts and events of mass violence from recent history and uses these to examine key questions, theories and concepts surrounding this sensitive and controversial topic. In particular, the book:
- identifies core tools for the analysis of public violence
- explores the processes that mutate social movements into violent groups
- describes the cultural, embodied, experiential and imagined dimensions of violence
- highlights different periods and varying forms of terrorist violence
- examines the role of globalization, media, technology and the visual in violence and terror today.
"Our Violent World" shows how the social sciences can contribute to an understanding of violence and responses to terror, as well as the construction of a social world less dominated by fear of the other. It is a must-read for students and citizens.

The turn to the nonhuman in the humanities and social sciences has arguably been mobilized through a washing away of political violence, its histories, and its traces. Reverberations aims to redress this problem by methodologically and conceptually placing political violence and nonhuman entities side by side. The volume generates a new framework for the study of political violence and its protracted aftermath by attending, through innovative ethnographic and historical studies, to its distribution, extension, and endurance across time, space, materialities, and otherworldly dimensions, as well as its embodiment in subjectivities, discourses, and imaginations. Collectively, in the study of political violence, the contributions focus on human agencies and experiences in engagement with nonhuman entities such as objects, land, fields, houses, buildings, treasures, trees, spirits, saints, and prophets. In a variety of contexts, the scholars herein ask the crucial question: What can be learned about political violence by analyzing it in the terrain of relationality between human beings and nonhuman entities? How are things such as objects, spaces, natural phenomena, or spiritual beings entwined in histories of political violence? And vice versa-how are histories of political violence implicated in nonhuman things?

This book positions inquiries into the historical abuse of children in care within the context of transitional justice. It examines investigation, apology and redress processes across a range of Western nations to trace the growth of the movement, national particularities and the impact of the work on professionals involved.

This book provides a much-needed analysis of the current research in the global epidemic of electronic bullying. Scholars and professionals from the Americas, Europe, and Asia offer data, insights, and solutions, acknowledging both the social psychology and technological contexts underlying cyberbullying phenomena. Contributors address questions that are just beginning to emerge as well as longstanding issues concerning family and gender dynamics, and provide evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies for school and home. The global nature of the book reflects not only the scope and severity of cyberbullying, but also the tenacity of efforts to control and eradicate the problem. Included in the coverage: * Gender issues and cyberbullying in children and adolescents: from gender differences to gender identity measures. * Family relationships and cyberbullying. * Examining the incremental impact of cyberbullying on outcomes over and above traditional bullying in North America. * A review of cyberbullying and education issues in Latin America. * Cyberbullying prevention from child and youth literature. * Cyberbullying and restorative justice. Cyberbullying across the Globe is an essential resource for researchers, graduate students, and other professionals in child and school psychology, public health, social work and counseling, educational policy, and family advocacy.

"Written in clear, accessible language...New Versions of Victims offers a critical analysis of popular debates about victimization that will be applicable to both practice and theory."
-- "Adolescence"

"Timely contribution to the theorization of rape and helps delineate areas in need of further analysis. [Lamb] also address[es] the issue from radically different perspectives and methodologies...particularly noteworthy."--"SIGNS"

It is increasingly difficult to use the word "victim" these days without facing either ridicule for "crying victim" or criticism for supposed harshness toward those traumatized. Some deny the possibility of "recovering" repressed memories of abuse, or consider date rape an invention of whining college students. At the opposite extreme, others contend that women who experience abuse are "survivors" likely destined to be psychically wounded for life.

While the debates rage between victims' rights advocates and "backlash" authors, the contributors to New Versions of Victims collectively argue that we must move beyond these polarizations to examine the "victim" as a socially constructed term and to explore, in nuanced terms, why we see victims the way we do.

Must one have been subject to extreme or prolonged suffering to merit designation as a victim? How are we to explain rape victims who seemingly "get over" their experience with no lingering emotional scars? Resisting the reductive oversimplifications of the polemicists, the contributors to New Versions of Victims critique exaggerated claims by victim advocates about the harm of victimization while simultaneously taking on the reactionary boilerplate of writers such as Katie Roiphe and CamillePaglia and offering further strategies for countering the backlash.

Written in clear, accessible language, New Versions of Victims offers a critical analysis of popular debates about victimization that will be applicable to both practice and theory.

This timely and compelling ethnography examines the impact of welfare reform on women seeking to escape domestic violence. DC na-Ain Davis profiles twenty-two women, thirteen of whom are Black, living in a battered women's shelter in a small city in upstate New York. She explores the contradictions between welfare reform's supposed success in moving women off of public assistance and toward economic self-sufficiency and the consequences welfare reform policy has presented for Black women fleeing domestic violence. Focusing on the intersection of poverty, violence, and race, she demonstrates the differential treatment that Black and White women face in their entanglements with the welfare bureaucracy by linking those entanglements to the larger political economy of a small city, neoliberal social policies, and racialized ideas about Black women as workers and mothers.

Very few women are wartime rapists. Very few women issue commands to commit sexual violence. Very few women play a role in making war plans that feature the intentional sexual violation of other women. This book is about those very few women. Women as Wartime Rapists reveals the stories of female perpetrators of sexual violence and their place in wartime conflict, legal policy, and the punishment of sexual violence. More broadly, Laura Sjoberg asks, what do the actions and perceptions of female perpetrators of sexual violence reveal about our broader conceptions of war, violence, sexual assault, and gender? This book explores specific historical case studies, such as Nazi Germany, Serbia, the contemporary case of ISIS, and others, to understand how and why women participate in rape during war and conflict. Sjoberg examines the contrast between the visibility of female victims and the invisibility of female perpetrators, as well as the distinction between rape and genocidal rape, which is used as a weapon against a particular ethnic or national group. Further, she explores women's engagement with genocidal rape and how some orchestrated the ethnic cleansing of entire regions. A provocative approach to a sensationalized topic, Women as Wartime Rapists offers important insights into not only the topic of female perpetrators of wartime sexual violence, but to larger notions of gender and violence with crucial cultural, legal, and political implications.

Sexual harassment is a pervasive social problem in the United States. In recent years, literature on sexual harassment has rapidly expanded, as increasing attention has been directed toward this legal and moral issue. This bibliography surveys the large amount of literature on sexual harassment published between 1984 and 1994. Included are entries for books, dissertations, and articles, with entries arranged in topical chapters. Entries for books and articles include descriptive annotations, and a chronology traces the recent history of sexual harassment in the United States.

The problem of sexual harassment was with us long before the highly publicized 1991 confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. However, Anita Hill's testimony regarding sexual harassment captured the nation and sparked a public debate on what had been treated as a private issue. Because of its subjective nature, sexual harassment has been difficult to quantify and define. As a result of the pervasiveness and complexity of sexual harassment, there is now an enormous body of literature on the topic. This book is a guide to the available material.

From the more than 1,000 citations found by the authors, the bibliography has been limited to some 534 books, articles, and dissertations. The works were chosen for their scholarly, original, or creative contribution to sexual harassment literature. Materials generally excluded were newspaper articles, popular press publications, anecdotal reports, and editorial comments or letters. Entries are arranged in topical chapters, and entries for books and articles include descriptive annotations. A chronology traces major developments in sexual harassment legislation in the United States from the 1964 Civil Rights Act to a 1993 U.S. Supreme Court case.

The International Society for Language Studies (ISLS) inaugurates its first volume in the series Readings in Language Studies with Language Across Disciplinary Boundaries, a text that represents international perspectives on language and identity, critical pedagogy, language and power, perspectives on second language acquisition and teacher education. Founded in 2002, ISLS is a world-wide organization of volunteers, scholars and practitioners committed to critical, interdisciplinary, and emergent approaches to language studies. "There is no question that this volume is a valuable and timely addition to the literature on this very important topic, and one for which scholars concerned with issues of language, language education, and language and social justice should be grateful." Timothy Reagan Professor of Education Central Connecticut State University "This volume marks a valuable contribution and step forward in linguistic studies that purposefully embrace critical perspectives through theory, methodology, and findings." Lisa Patel Stevens President, International Society for Language Studies Assistant Professor of Education Boston College "The International Society for Language Studies is increasingly recognized at the forefront of encouraging research on language and power. This book is an exciting step forward in that mission, with selections that reflect the wide range of important issues needing attention from scholars. The contributions are impressive, merging scholarly rigor with a concern for social justice." Terry A. Osborn Professor and Chair of Curriculum and Teaching Fordham University Graduate School of Education

The word “lynching” has immediate and graphic connotations for virtually all people who hear and use the word. When Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas claimed he was lynched by a Senate investigating committee, he intentionally and deliberately drew on two key components of the term -- race and punishment – that stemmed from the long and ugly history of lynching in America. Yet if we follow the history of the term itself – which is over two centuries old – we learn that lynching has had several different meanings over time, with murder endorsed by the community as one of its most enduring definitions. Tracing the use and meaning of the word “lynching” from the colonial period to the present, historian Christopher Waldrep reveals that while the notion of lynching as a form of extralegal punishment sanctioned by the community did not alter significantly over time, the meaning of the word itself changed drastically, paralleling changes in how Americans grappled with law enforcement, community, and most importantly, race relations.

In Violence and Desire in Brazilian Lesbian Relationships, Allen examines the lives of Brazilian women in same-sex relationships. This examination contributes to interdisciplinary discussions of female same-sex sexuality, violence, race, and citizenship. Using fifteen months of ethnographic fieldwork, primarily with Afro-Brazilian women in the city of Salvador da Bahia, Allen argues that Brazilian lesbian women reject Brazilian cultural norms that encourage male domination and female submission through their engagement in romantic relationships with each other. At the same time Allen claims lesbian women also reproduce Brazilian cultural ideals that associate passion, intensity, and power with physical dominance through their engagement in infidelity and intimate partner violence. The book demonstrates that lesbian women are nonetheless marginalized as Brazilian citizens through widespread social and political invisibility despite these apparent displays of masculinized power.

The impact of child maltreatment on victims, families, and society-from immediate medical care and legal services to long-term mental health care and law enforcement-cannot be understated. And it remains a severe problem in spite of increasing public awareness and stricter laws. To keep up with growing body of professionals staying informed on this subject, the third edition of A Practical Guide to the Evaluation of Child Physical Abuse and Neglect assists the reader in recognizing abuse/neglect (exclusive of sexual abuse) in children and youth, and determining its extent. Illustrated with clinical photographs, the Guide details systematic evaluation procedures, explains the tasks of an evaluation team, and expands and updates the knowledge base in these and other major areas: Specific injuries, including burns, bruises, fractures, and head and abdominal injuries Malnourishment and other forms of neglect Medical child abuse (previously known as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy) Maltreatment of children with special health care needs Domestic partner violence Prevention strategies, psychosocial assessment, collaborations with law enforcement and the courts, and more The new edition of A Practical Guide to the Evaluation of Child Physical Abuse and Neglect offers expert information useful to practitioners across professional domains: public health professionals in maternal and child health and school settings; physicians and nurses; clinical social workers, child psychologists, and school psychologists; and attorneys and law enforcement personnel.

Hundreds of thousands of US military personnel have been victims of sexual assault and harassment. This client workbook is an essential part of an integrative, evidence-based treatment developed over many years by Lori S. Katz, PhD, which has already helped hundreds of survivors of Military Sexual Trauma (MST). The only workbook of its kind, it provides a wide range of therapeutic exercises and activities to help survivors restore their sense of safety and reclaim their lives. These include obtaining an in-depth understanding of MST, opportunities for self-discovery, and engaging the body with movement and relaxation exercises in a context of support, caring, and validation. This workbook is designed to help MST survivors understand normal reactions to MST and how to manage them. Readers will learn how to release the grips of anger and resentment, injustice, betrayal, self-blame, shame, and grief. They will learn how to deal with such physical symptoms as sleep problems and stress and engage in assessment of their own interpersonal patterns. The book also explores the impact of MST on relationships and how to cultivate and sustain healthy relationships, intimacy and sexuality. Additionally, the workbook can be used to help individuals who have experienced childhood and/or adult sexual abuse and trauma. Through Warrior Renew, survivors will be able to move forward in their lives by creating a new sense of identity, purpose, and self-worth. Key Features: Provides an effective, easy-to-use treatment for MST Based on a proven program already in use at several VA centers and military bases Addresses a variety of issues specific to MST such as injustice, betrayal, self-blame, effect on intimacy and trust, and emotional isolation Includes therapeutic activities including writing exercises, visualizations, relaxation and movement exercises, and group interactions Stresses an integrative approach to psychotherapy

The Sicilian Mafia, or Cosa Nostra, is one of the most intriguing criminal phenomena in the world. It is an unparalleled organised criminal grouping that over almost two centuries has been able not only to successfully permeate licit and illicit economy, politics and civil society, but also to influence and exercise authoritative power over both the underworld and the upper-world. This criminal phenomenon has been a captivating conundrum for scholars of different disciplines who have tried to explain with various paradigms the reasons behind the emergence and consolidation of the mafia. Challenging the Mafia Mystique provides an analysis of the changes the Sicilian mafia has undergone, from legitimisation to denunciation. Rino Coluccello highlights how, from the very emergence of the organised criminal groups in Sicily, a culture existed that was protective and tolerant of the mafia. He argues that the various conceptualisations of the mafia that dominated the public and scientific debate in the nineteenth and more than half of the twentieth century created a mystique, which legitimised the mafia and contributed to their success. This book will be of great interest to scholars and students of organised crime, Italian politics and Italian literature.

Torn by ongoing civil and military violence, Africa presents a challenge to scholars interested in the root causes of conflict. Each conflict is unique, but overall they exhibit common patterns. The contributors of this book employ an eclectic array of current explanations of civil strife and how to resolve it. The first half of the book provides the relevant theoretical background. Theories of conflict and conflict resolution, the larger context of African strife in Africa, and patterns and trends of conflict are discussed. Shifting from the general to the particular, the remaining chapters of this volume gauge the accuracy and usefulness of the current thinking on conflicts by grounding it in case studies drawn from the Great Lakes Region, Liberia, Nigeria, and Zambia.

This book presents a comprehensive history of lynching and mob violence in North and South Carolina, focusing on seven specific case studies from the region. Lynching marked the violent outer boundaries of race and class relations in the American South between Reconstruction and the civil rights era. Everyday interactions could easily escalate into mob violence, and did so thousands of times. Bruce Baker examines this important aspect of American history by taking seven lynchings in North Carolina and South Carolina and studying them in detail. He succeeds in getting behind the superficial accounts and explanations provided at the time to explain the deeper causes and wider contexts of these events.Many studies of lynching begin only after Reconstruction had ended and African Americans found themselves with little political power. However, this book provides the most thorough study yet written of the Ku Klux Klan's most violent episode - the killing of thirteen black militia members in Union, South Carolina, in 1871 - to argue that this act of mob violence set the conditions in important ways for the entire lynching era. Enmities born in Reconstruction lingered afterwards and lay behind an 1887 lynching in York County, South Carolina. As lynching became an unsurprising part of life in the South, African Americans even found that they could use it themselves, in once case to punish a child's killer and in another to settle a church's factional squabbles. In addition, a variety of forces opposing lynching was rising and by the 1930s their efforts would begin to make a difference.

"The most significant fact about people who abuse children is how ordinary they are. They come from all walks of life, they live in cities and rural communities; they are often successful people (but not always) who hold good jobs and keep neat and clean homes. They are seldom terrible or sadistic people.

In "Questions of an abused child" offers hope to abused children and adults in this simple, no-nonsense look at the realities of abuse. Author Ivan Muise draws upon his own battle with abuse to bring you an in-depth guide to breaking this deadly cycle.

Broken down into easy-to-understand chapters, you'll discover the answers to your most important questions in the following categories, among others:

• Children
• Marriage
• Parents
• Relationships between the abused and the police
• Religion
• Things your children should know

Learn how to recognize abuse and acquire strategies on how to deal with abuse. If you or someone you know is being mistreated, "Questions of an abused child" can help. Your future depends on it!

In this interdisciplinary collection leading experts and scholars from criminology, psychology, law and history provide a compelling analysis of practices and beliefs that lead to violence against women, men and children in the name 'honour'.

Protecting Children in Time provides a highly original analysis of the origins and development of the taken-for-granted notion that it is possible through social intervention to protect children from avoidable harm and even death, to protect children in time . By using case-studies which span the past 120 years of 'modern' practices and drawing on the work of leading social theorists of modernity and risk society it provides a new way of thinking about constructions of child abuse as a social problem and child protection as a late-modern expert system and experience. It proposes new ways of conceptualizing relationships between professionals, children at risk and families and deepens our understanding of what effective interventions have to involve.

This book engages with some of the most intractable political and social problems of the time - terrorism, ethnic and religious conflict. It reflects originality in urging the application of social theory - in particular Durkheim's lessons for the transformation of France into a unified enlightened nation after the Revolution - in approaching solutions to contemporary political violence. It also challenges conventional role of sociology.Ethno-national and religious identity and violence dominate modern politics, from Northern Ireland to terrorism in Sri Lanka, the former Yugoslavia or Afghanistan and Iraq. Sociology generally has made only a small contribution to the discussion. It is the contention here that sociology, particularly social theory, should be a major tool in helping explain national, religious and identity problems.

"New Arenas for Violence" examines the history, nature, and causal factors of occupational homicide--murder in the workplace--with a view to the development of a comprehensive understanding of the issue and the introduction of prevention measures designed to establish a safer work environment for the American worker. Through the analysis of a number of actual incidents of homicide, the author constructs a new framework for understanding occupational homicide and its perpetrators. Kelleher develops a new method of categorizing and evaluating crimes of this sort and offers an invaluable profile of the potentially violent worker or client. The book concludes with a compendium of prevention methodologies that are both practical and applicable to a wide variety of workplace environments.

'Hugely insightful and thought provoking . . . I read it from cover to cover in one go' - Emilia Fox 'With characteristic brilliance and admirable sensitivity, Wilson illuminates the complex causes of their often horrific crimes' - Professor Simon Winlow, Vice President of the British Society of Criminology Professor David Wilson has spent his professional life working with violent men - especially men who have committed murder. Aged twenty-nine he became, at that time, the UK's youngest ever prison Governor in charge of a jail and his career since then has seen him sat across a table with all sorts of killers: sometimes in a tense interview; sometimes sharing a cup of tea (or something a little stronger); sometimes looking them in the eye to tell them that they are a psychopath. Some of these men became David's friends; others would still love to kill him. My Life with Murderers tells the story of David's journey from idealistic prison governor to expert criminologist and professor. With experience unlike any other, David's story is a fascinating and compelling study of human nature.

The problem of children 'in trouble' is the subject of repeated media panics and of heated political rhetoric. Drawing on wide-ranging original research, Carol Hayden reviews evidence about children in trouble across a range of circumstances, demonstrating the tensions between welfare and justice, care and control in the treatment of these vulnerable young people and evaluating the methodological as well as practical implications of the current 'what works' debate within social policy. All students and professionals working with children, whether in social work, teaching or the criminal justice system, will find this book invaluable.

This book examines the struggles that unfolded in Latin America over the memory of the pasts of political violence experienced by the countries of the continent in the second half of the twentieth century: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the United States, Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.