Phenomenologies of Violence

Book excerpt: Phenomenologies of Violence presents phenomenology as an important method to investigate violence, its various forms, meanings, and consequences for human existence. On one hand, it seeks to view violence as a genuine philosophical problem, i.e., beyond the still prevalent instrumental, cultural and structural explanations. On the other hand, it provides the reader with accounts on the many faces of violence, ranging from physical, psychic, structural and symbolic violence to forms of social as well as organized violence. In this volume it is argued that phenomenology, which has not yet been used in interdisciplinary research on violence, offers basic insights into the constitution of violence, our possibilities of understanding, and our actions to contain it. Contributors include:Michael D. Barber, Debra Bergoffen, Robert Bernasconi, James Dodd, Eddo Evink, Kathryn T. Gines, James Mensch, Stefan Nowotny, Michael Staudigl, Anthony J. Steinbock, and Nicolas de Warren.