POL 2104 Lecture Notes - Lecture 24: Structural Violence, Social Cost, Totalitarianism
20 Aug 2016
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Document Summary
Political violence can be de ned as violence that operates beyond state sovereignty. Weber"s de nition: monopoly of legitimate violence (perpetrated by civilians against the government) In reality distinctions are not so easy to identify. Structural violence refers to violence one cannot see, but is underlying. Behind physical violence is the unequal systems that allow it to occur. Police brutality, for example, is situated within a system of hierarchy that revolves around police being dominating and citizens as subordinate. The structure allows police and politicians to feel above the law. Is institutional and can be traced by motives (parties manipulating politics for their own gain) Institutional: emphasis on states, regimes, economy (capitalism), culture, or religion. Ideational: involving the rationale behind violence (may or may not be institutionalized) Individual: personal motivations of those who perpetrate violence. Revolution: a public seizure of the state in order to over turn existing government.
