I borrow a line of thought from the historian and cultural theorist Robert Young when he writes that violence “is a phenomenon that has a history.” Violence is not so much a question of a single act that breaks a supposed continuum of nonviolence or peace. Rather, violence is best understood as a historical cycle of violence and counterviolence. In other words, violence is not one but two.
The Theater of Violence A great conversation between Simon Critchley and Brad Evans for the New York Times’ The Stone blog.
Thoughts?