Dangerous Others, Insecure Societies examines the turn in post-industrial societies towards a fear of cultural, racial or religious externality, adopting a ground-breaking analysis which considers 'insecurity' a constituent part of 'otherness', rather than something separate or following from it. By addressing the link between insecurity and otherness, this book sheds light on the contemporary cultures of fear and risk that have made possible the aggressive measures that followed the 2001 terrorist attacks in the US and which continue to dominate contemporary geopolitics. The result of particular socio-economic and political circumstances, a sense of fear in relation to the Other has emerged as a replacement for the social bond, as otherness and danger are increasingly associated with one another - a development that appears paradoxical in the modern, globalized world. Bringing together the latest research from scholars in the UK, Europe and Australia, Dangerous Others, Insecure Societies engages with diverse issues surrounding migration, authoritarianism and social exclusion to consider the implications of a culture of fear and exclusion for multicultural, globalized, networked societies. As such, it will appeal to sociologists, geographers, social anthropologists and political scientists concerned with questions of identity, citizenship, exclusion and belonging.

Is violent conflict inevitable? What is it in our social nature that makes us conduct wars, genocides and persecutions? The answer lies in how we are programmed to bond and form communities that demand loyalty in order to let us belong. The analysis in this book cuts through the social sciences in order to show the fundamentals of violent conflict. The book investigates conflict at the level of sociality. It reorganises existing theories of conflict under that perspective and brings them to bear upon the link between violence and togetherness. It introduces the key concept of closure to describe the conditions under which human groups start to perceive their position as similar and their reality as polarised. This is how normality starts breaking down and fault lines appear. Violent conflict is then analysed as a reaction that seeks change more rapidly than conditions seem to allow. Global comparative data from numerous studies - including M. Mousseau's works - are used to disentangle the factors that contribute to "democratic peace", that is, the fact that democratic societies do not go to war with each other. This inquiry reveals the new dimension of sociodiversity, which allows societies where individuality is strong to constantly produce alternatives and avoid closure. The book concludes with a coda on peace and sociodiversity which explains how contemporary societies can ensure durable peace and adequate social justice at the same time. Written in a clear and direct style, this volume will appeal to students, researchers and scholars with an interest in political sociology, anthropology, international relations, war studies, as well as conflict and peace studies.

Dangerous Others, Insecure Societies examines the turn in post-industrial societies towards a fear of cultural, racial or religious externality, adopting a ground-breaking analysis which considers 'insecurity' a constituent part of 'otherness', rather than something separate or following from it. By addressing the link between insecurity and otherness, this book sheds light on the contemporary cultures of fear and risk that have made possible the aggressive measures that followed the 2001 terrorist attacks in the US and which continue to dominate contemporary geopolitics. The result of particular socio-economic and political circumstances, a sense of fear in relation to the Other has emerged as a replacement for the social bond, as otherness and danger are increasingly associated with one another - a development that appears paradoxical in the modern, globalized world. Bringing together the latest research from scholars in the UK, Europe and Australia, Dangerous Others, Insecure Societies engages with diverse issues surrounding migration, authoritarianism and social exclusion to consider the implications of a culture of fear and exclusion for multicultural, globalized, networked societies. As such, it will appeal to sociologists, geographers, social anthropologists and political scientists concerned with questions of identity, citizenship, exclusion and belonging.

Is violent conflict inevitable? What is it in our social nature that makes us conduct wars, genocides and persecutions? The answer lies in how we are programmed to bond and form communities that demand loyalty in order to let us belong. The analysis in this book cuts through the social sciences in order to show the fundamentals of violent conflict. The book investigates conflict at the level of sociality. It reorganises existing theories of conflict under that perspective and brings them to bear upon the link between violence and togetherness. It introduces the key concept of closure to describe the conditions under which human groups start to perceive their position as similar and their reality as polarised. This is how normality starts breaking down and fault lines appear. Violent conflict is then analysed as a reaction that seeks change more rapidly than conditions seem to allow. Global comparative data from numerous studies - including M. Mousseau's works - are used to disentangle the factors that contribute to "democratic peace", that is, the fact that democratic societies do not go to war with each other. This inquiry reveals the new dimension of sociodiversity, which allows societies where individuality is strong to constantly produce alternatives and avoid closure. The book concludes with a coda on peace and sociodiversity which explains how contemporary societies can ensure durable peace and adequate social justice at the same time. Written in a clear and direct style, this volume will appeal to students, researchers and scholars with an interest in political sociology, anthropology, international relations, war studies, as well as conflict and peace studies.

Freedom and control are usually understood as opposites but what if they merged? Consumption, management and administration are everywhere. We are no longer supposed to depend on one other. Instead, institutions and organizations form a dense web that radically transform our past relations into ready-made, fragmented norms. Thus, we are increasingly controlled not by coercion but by competition and efficiency, aspiration and fear, to the point where a new era in human sociality is starting. Moving beyond existing critiques, Lianos argues that capitalism does not show itself as a conspiracy of the powerful but rather manifests as the lowest common denominator of our collective weaknesses. Control, therefore, lies in practice and freedom lies in consciousness. "This book transforms our view of social control. It is undoubtedly the first work to expose a decisive social mutation and reveal to us the logic and the disturbing power of a post-disciplinary, new social control, just as Foucault masterfully revealed to us the logic of disciplinary control." - Robert Castel, Ecole des hautes etudes en sciences sociales.