HIST232!
! Seminar 1 (Weeks 1-2)! ! Title: Violence and the 'human condition'! !
Objective: to examine violence as an anthropological condition in the long term and compare the twentieth century with previous historical periods in terms of inclination to violence, including mass violence. ! Nowadays, many people believe that we live in an inherently violent epoch, perhaps more so than in previous decades or centuries. Technology and modern efficiency have also contributed to new phenomena of mass violence (paramount amongst them the Holocaust and the 1945 use of the atomic bomb against Japan). Mass violence has become more lethal, more destructive, more horrifying in means and outcomes.! And yet, comparative data tell us that we live in a far less violent era than ever before. Violence has declined in terms of action and deaths. What does this mean for us today, for the human species in anthropological terms, for our societies and 'civilisations'?!
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Questions to consider! 1. In your opinion, is the tendency to violence an inherent element of the 'human condition' (e.g. The theory of the 'violent ape') or do we become violent through life and experience?! 2. Why is violence appeared to have decreased in our contemporary societies and how do you interpret this finding?! 3. Are we all potentially violent (whether by nature of by experience) or do 'violent humans' exist as a separate group?! 4. To what extent has human nature been 'tamed' by what we call 'civilised society' and modernity? In answering the question, consider that we may have violent instincts (e.g. Self-defence) but that society, law, morality, religion, culture etc have managed to turn recourse to violence into a 'taboo'.! 5. Is mass violence different to individual violence - and, if so, why and in what ways?!
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In answering all the above questions, think of real-life examples - whether historical or contemporary. Think, in particular, of the recent (and thankfully short-lived) wave of violence across the UK! !
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Preparation ! Given the limited amount of time at your disposal for the first seminar, we will have the first seminar as a semi-structured, free discussion. Read the following transcript from a lecture by Steven Pinker (or watch the video recording of the lecture by following the 'interactive transcript')!
! http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/steven_pinker_on_the_myth_of_violence.html! !
Also, take a look at this resource, also available online and reflect on its main premise (namely, that violence is a part of human nature and that our efforts should be directed towards containing, diverting or diffusing it at the earlier stages of its escalation):!
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http://www.sirc.org/publik/foxviolence.html