Where Should We Stand to Get the Best Perspective on Collective Violence?

Using critical and interactionist perspectives, sociology can improve students' understanding of collective violence. This article presents a conceptual tool for teaching about this topic. The tool is a taxonomy of ideas about security, threat, conflict, peace and justice. The bottom level of the taxonomy consists of foundational paradigms (values and assumptions). The second, more detailed, level consists of ideologies — left, center, and right. The top, most detailed, level contains two discourses, the dominant “war on terrorism” discourse, and the less influential “capitalist crisis” discourse. The war on terrorism discourse is shared by the political right and center. It identifies terrorists or criminals as the main sources of violence. The capitalist crisis discourse represents the left in foreign policy debate, and views collective violence as responses, however, indirect, to structural violence, i.e., exploitation and repression. To suggest ways this taxonomy can be used, this article offers a cursory discussion of media discourse and public opinion, illustrating the role of some of these ideas in US political culture. In addition to helping students understand both discourses, sociologists should share the “capitalist crisis” view with the public because it is the best for understanding collective violence and its resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]