"While most analyses don't define violence and regard it as an essentially contested concept, this book argues for an ontological definition of violence as a reduction of being. This enables a critical sociology to move beyond tacit acceptance of a historically contingent definition of violence as profferred by the state"--Provided by publisher.

Internationally-renowned scholars, including Zygmunt Bauman, Saskia Sassen, Loic Wacquant and Craig Calhoun come together in this exciting new collection to debate the role of the nation state in an age of globalization, examining key areas including finance, migration, terrorism, crime, the welfare state and the legal system.