Naming Violence: A Critical Theory of Genocide, Torture, and Terrorism

by Mathias Thaler

Much is at stake when we choose a word for a form of violence: whether a conflict is labeled civil war or genocide, whether we refer to "enhanced interrogation techniques" or to "torture," whether a person is called a "terrorist" or a "patriot." Do these decisions reflect the rigorous application of commonly accepted criteria, or are they determined by power structures and partisanship? How is the language we use for violence entangled with the...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0231188145
• ISBN13: 9780231188142
• Release Date: September 2018
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.1"