Violence and New Social Movements

Abstract

Some writers in the field have a very broad concept of what constitutes violence. In the theory of “structural violence” (Johan Galtung), social conditions that result in massive social discrimination and injustice are a form of violence. Similarly, even relatively harmless forms of civil disobedience, such as short-term sit-ins, are sometimes included within the definition of violence. These broad interpretations mean that the concept of violence is ill defined and, ultimately, useless. It is preferable to adopt a definition of violence closely based on the everyday understanding of the term. Violence means intentionally caused or carelessly accepted damage to/destruction of property or the injuring/killing of people (Graham & Gurr, 1969; Neidhardt, 1986). Even so, problems of definition remain, as in the case of minor damage to property (such as graffiti), the holding of individuals against their expressed will, or the exertion of huge mental pressure which in some forms of torture can in extreme cases result in destruction of the personality. The first of these examples should be excluded from the concept of violence, and the third included, while the second can probably not be classified meaningfully unless the circumstances are known. In general terms, it may be said that the understanding of violence is culture-dependent. Whereas, for example, female circumcision is a generally accepted social practice in some parts of Africa, it is perceived by many Western observers as a cruel form of mutilation and an unambiguous act of violence within the definition adopted here.