Configuring the Relation between Structural and Direct Violence

• In Event: 2366 - Section on Peace, War, and Social Conflict Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 3. Peace, War, and Social Conflict: Structure and Violence

Abstract

Studying structural violence in different societies’ enables a comprehensive understanding of the social structures (political, legal, economic) which shape inequality and suffering for both deprived and underprivileged groups, such as ethnic minorities. Existing analyses of structural violence identify hierarchies of power which reveal crucial aspects of social injustice that cause harm to deprived groups due to unequal opportunities in education, jobs and career advancement, and political representation. These aspects of social injustice trigger various kinds of discontent from protest movements to civil wars. Although in many cases we observe a transition from structural violence to direct violence, the mechanisms of this transition are poorly conceptualised and theoretized. The present paper aims to examine in detail the causal relations between structural violence and direct violence and improve our understanding of this relationship. Based on empirical findings obtained via comprehensive field research on Tamils in Sri Lanka and Turks in Germany—several hypotheses were developed to illustrate why in some societies, such as in Sri Lanka, structural violence generates motivation for ethnic group mobilization to apply direct violence while in others, such as in Germany, the case is different. This study and the relevant hypotheses described herein have strong practical implications for the planning and evaluation of effective efforts for the improvement of social justice and stability in war-torn societies.

Author

• Ibrahim Can Sezgin, Social Sciences University of Ankara