On Violence

This seminar covers major theorists of and debates about violence. Among the authors we shall read are Arendt, Crenshaw, Fanon, Sartre, Benjamin, Foucault, Butler, and Mbembe. We shall also explore ethnographies that examine issues related to violence in theoretically-motivated, grounded research, such as works by Siegel, and Taussig. The aims of the course are to combine political theory and comparative politics concerns with work in anthropology and literary studies (including one novel and two films). Considering the relationship between overt coercion and systemic violence, attending to genres of writing about violence, and focusing on the everyday lived experiences of violence, the course grapples with questions of race, class, gender, mediation, representation, and political power. The course will also reflect on the cathartic pleasures, ethical conundrums, and (anti-?) political dimensions of violence.

PLSC 49100 | ANTH 52515 | CCCT 49100