Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Violence is
part and parcel of human history and of human nature. It is one of
our most distinctive traits, the one thing that all cultures and
societies, across time, share in common. It has defined not only
the ways in which individuals relate to each other, but also how
collective entities and states have interacted with each other over
the millennia. All societies are violent and all individuals have
the capacity for violence. However, not all societies and not all
individuals are equally violent, and nor does violence exist with
the same intensity across cultures. This Very Short Introduction
examines the more visible, physical acts of violence -
interpersonal, gendered, collective, religious, sexual, criminal,
and political - in the modern world. It explores how violence in
the pre-modern world was different from the modern world, and what
is significant about those differences. It also discusses what
violence is by examining understandings of the ideas, values, and
cultural practices embedded in an act of violence, and considering
acts of violence as the outcome of a process dependent on the
cultural context in which they take place. Along the way Dwyer
considers some core questions, asking whether violence is always
'bad', and if there are any limits to human violence? Why is it
that what was once considered acceptable - wife beating, duelling,
slavery - at some point becomes unacceptable in some societies and
cultures, and yet continues in others? And finally, are we becoming
more or less violent? ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short
Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds
of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books
are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our
expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and
enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly
readable.
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