Violence and Terror

Anthropological perspectives on violence consider how social life is shaped through different forms of engagement with force and intimidation, and foreground concerns of meaning, representation and symbolism—understanding violence as a form of socio-cultural expression as much as instrument of coercion. In this course, we will be approaching violence as usually meaningful and always culturally mediated: a phenomenon that is not outside the realm of human society. A key theme to be explored is the contention that violence, rather than necessarily signifying a breakdown in social existence, often plays a part—perhaps even a fundamental one—in the maintenance or creation of particular forms of social order. To this end, we will be concerned with analysing not only the explicit acts of bodily harm that occur in violent conflict but more subtle forms of violence perpetrated by the nation–state and global institutions. In this sense, a vital aspect of the course involves engaging with the ‘anthropology of state practices’ through considering the relation of state and society as this shapes occurrences and expressions of violence. This course emphasises active and collaborative learning, with teamwork comprising 60% of the assessment. Students will be expected to seriously engage with the weekly learning materials before coming to class, undertake preparatory work with their teammates, and be primed to create an active and lively learning environment each week. This course will best suit those possessing (or wanting to develop) good skills around organisation, independent reading and research, presentation and debate in large groups, and project development in a team context.