The Hidden Structure of Violence: Who Benefits from Global Violence and War

by Marc Pilisuk, Jennifer Achord Rountree

Acts of violence assume many forms: they may travel by the arc of a guided missile or in the language of an economic policy decision that contaminates drinking water, and they may leave behind a smoldering village or a starved child. The all-pervasive occurrence of violence makes it seem like an unavoidable, and ultimately incomprehensible, aspect of the human world, particularly in a modern era. But, in this detailed and expansive book, Marc Pilisuk and Jennifer Rountree demonstrate otherwise. Widespread violence, they argue, is in fact an expression of the underlying social order, and whether it is carried out by military forces or by patterns of investment, the aim is to strengthen that order for the benefit of the powerful. The Hidden Structure of Violence marshals vast amounts of evidence to examine the costs of direct violence, including military preparedness and the social reverberations of war, alongside the costs of structural violence, expressed as poverty and chronic illness. It also documents the relatively small number of people and corporations responsible for facilitating the violent status quo, whether by setting the range of permissible discussion or benefiting directly as financiers and manufacturers. The result is a stunning indictment of our violent world and a powerful critique of the ways through which violence is reproduced on a daily basis, whether at the highest levels of the state or in the deepest recesses of the mind. Because of its inter-disciplinary approach, The Hidden Structure of Violence will be valuable for scholars and students in a range of fields, but especially psychology, macro-economics, sociology, international relations, history, journalism, peace studies, military science, community development, and social change.

Genres: Politics, Psychology, Economics

304 pages, Hardcover

First published July 17, 2015

Reviews

[Shabnam Fatullayeva · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book explains violence from a different perspective, showing that it is shaped not only physically but also through political, economic, and cultural structures. In particular, the hopeful view in the final section—the possibility of change through collective action, social movements, and alternative approaches—completes the book in a more impactful way.

[Algernon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an impressively comprehensive analysis, rich in current data, about structural violence and the interaction of various systems: networks of power in government and the dominance of capital, media networks, cultural beliefs and political ideologies, economic influences on behavior and power, some urgent warnings for the first world (particularly the United States as a dominant power) and finally some signs of hope and potential for reform. Not an easy read - a frank book on a disheartening and a sprawling intellectual topic - but highly worthwhile and useful to us.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apparently, the "darkies" are at fault once more. And it is human nature. Never mind the scam Pilisuk has been running for decades. Never mind that the government who pays Pilisuk and his nephews good wages and good pensions is also the biggest arms dealer in the World. Don't follow the money, believe what the scammer is telling you.

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, looking forward to incorporating it in my future courses.

[Ruba Halabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at the wider impacts of Western policy and business practices. Ought to be on everyone's bookshelves.

[MW · Rating 3 out of 5]

law school