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Lecture notes Collective violence
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Lecture notes collective violenceLecture 1
Lecture Notes: Collective Violence
Introduction to Collective Violence
The course Violence Studies 8910V002 dives into the concept of collective violence (CV), a
phenomenon encompassing a wide range of group-based violent behaviors. The lecture provides
insights into the course structure, practicalities, and foundational definitions, aiming to understand
the motivations, processes, and impacts of collective violence.
Defining Collective Violence
• General Definitions:
o Encyclopedia Britannica: Collective violence includes spontaneous (e.g., riots) and
organized forms (e.g., terrorism, wars).
o WHO (2002): It is the instrumental use of violence by groups to achieve political,
economic, or social objectives.
• Shared Elements:
o Involvement of group membership and group identity.
o Triggered by threats or conflicts.
o Contains functional (not "senseless") components.
• Gray Areas in Definitions:
o Violence can involve spontaneous crowd actions or calculated efforts by individuals
representing groups.
o Excluded: Hate crimes targeting individuals for group association.
Key Questions Explored
1. Why do individuals join violent groups?
2. What intra-group processes foster collective violence?
3. How do inter-group dynamics escalate violence?
4. What role do symbolic versus instrumental objectives play in violence?
,Instrumental vs. Symbolic Violence
• Instrumental Violence:
o Goal-oriented actions intended to achieve specific outcomes.
o Example: Lynching as informal incapacitation in Nigeria.
• Symbolic/Performative Violence:
o Expressive actions targeting an audience to convey a message.
o Examples: Lynching rituals in Pakistan to establish power or create cultural narratives.
• Challenges in Distinction: Often, violence incorporates both instrumental and symbolic
components, blurring the lines.
Theories of Collective Violence Across Disciplines
1. Criminology:
o Views violence as a form of crime or transgression.
o Focuses on analyzing violent events, weapon use, and intervention strategies.
2. Sociology:
o Links violence to structural and societal conditions, considering collective outcomes
of social inequities.
o Examines societal responses and institutional roles in mitigating violence.
3. Social Psychology:
o Examines interactions between individuals and groups, focusing on dynamics like
aggression and prejudice.
o Seeks to understand how individuals perceive group influences and act on them.
, Historical Context and Evolution
• Decline in Collective Violence:
o Steven Pinker (2012): Highlights the reduction of collective violence over centuries
due to societal advancements.
• The Civilizing Process (Elias, 1968):
o Attributes the decline of public violence to legal institutions, law enforcement, and
evolving social norms.
• Historical Case Studies:
o Meyer et al. (2018): Examines cooperation and breakdowns in prehistoric
communities.
o The Bronze Age: Violence became formalized as war with the advent of specialized
tools like swords and warrior cults.
Research Methods in Collective Violence
• Quantitative Approaches:
o Deductive reasoning; tests theories against statistical data.
o Methods include experiments and surveys.
• Qualitative Approaches:
o Inductive reasoning; builds theories from observed data.
o Methods include interviews, narratives, and textual analysis.
• Mixed Methods: Observational studies combine quantitative and qualitative elements to
analyze complex events.
Course Objectives and Focus
1. Study the shared characteristics of collective violence while dissecting specific cases.
2. Integrate sociological, criminological, and psychological perspectives.
3. Emphasize group-level perpetrator actions rather than individual political violence like wars.
Concluding Reflections
The study of collective violence unveils critical questions about human behavior and societal
structures. This course invites students to explore the intersection of violence, group dynamics, and
social norms through multidisciplinary lenses, applying both theoretical and practical methodologies.
, Lecture 2
Lecture Notes: Joining Violent Groups
Introduction to Joining Violent Groups
This lecture delves into why individuals join violent groups, focusing on psychological, emotional, and
social motivators. It also examines how ideology and planned violence contribute to group dynamics
while exploring themes like belonging, purpose, and superiority. By understanding these motivations,
we gain insight into the complex interplay of individual and group behaviors in violent contexts.
Core Motivations for Joining Violent Groups
1. The Need for Significance
• Significance Quest Theory (Kruglanski et al., 2022):
o Humans inherently seek to matter and feel socially valued.
o This need can be satisfied by aligning with a group that shares one’s values or offers
validation.
o When individuals experience insignificance, they may turn to groups that fulfill this
basic need.
2. Feelings of Insignificance
• Common factors leading to insignificance include:
o Bullying and neglect during formative years.
o Social isolation or lack of opportunities.
o The "burden of insignificance" has been linked to substance abuse and suicide,
especially in marginalized communities (Case & Deaton, 2020).
3. Belonging
• Belonging satisfies a deep emotional need:
o Groups act as surrogate families, offering camaraderie and shared identity.
o Experiments (Orehek & Kruglanski, 2018) show that individuals value
interdependence more when experiencing failure.
4. Superiority
• Intergroup dynamics often foster competition:
o Members derive self-esteem from group dominance.
o Displays of power, status, and reputation solidify this sense of superiority.
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