al The Phenomenon of Violence David Riches “THE MEANING OF VIOLENCE ‘callis frequently made to anthropologists an scidagits to cut down 0 the argo! hey employ use the language of erry people’ they ace Mnonised: Bat then problems aie. "To employ the language of eveyiay Tie sologia™ anise sks distorting the social process duc to be tinomered tthe fst plice, the terms of everyday language ae used in lic staations by particular individuals who have particular desins; the sense these fer convey i therefore boud 0 vay sabe wit the (itn Second, everyday langage ie something the rast aes for granted nl aes wihoot elsin; the al iplicatons ofits meanings may teeone rehin comeelel (el, Rier 1985) Noe least because of the emotions it Te to arose ‘vance’ est stand close 1 the top ofthe ist of words hic invite danger from these points of view. Tor anthropologists to declare that they ae saying violence expecially outs such anger. Te socal eto erermel by people in‘oher sci inthe collective repuesentations aythology, aesthetics, et) of “ther hare muy sre the English speaking ly peso "violent — yetsome of {i esata rpeanings in the Anglo-Saxon Wea may be mising fem them Hoyer nod, it maybe tht tere wll aot bea word in the language of the"onhercultore’ which rks off nally the same range of acts and snages Uist vine’ denotes inthe Anglo Saxon world. Then again, to the Anglo ‘Sion mid, ‘lene strongly cangotes Behusiour that isin some sense ieptimate or unacceptable — ae noted ia several chapters in this book. However forth pereemer of voce this particule smpiation may well fe plied ot even Be compel buen. This i 2 pint rough oot2 Devi Biches strongly in Edmund Lesc’s discussion of violence perpetrated by errors 1977) Leach da eb pall eeween terest in ect) and {he society’ leaders (authorities, noting that in eacial sense och maybe ‘eganied as outsider competing to impose thei will onthe populace at Inrge. Locked in a supreme oposton, cach side represents theaters acts of physical ores barbara bat considers its owe as hei "There is «second danger in employing the tec violence’ in sciologies! stody, This i hat the analy could be damping lflucced bythe fol? ‘theories tout lence mhich bain inthe analy say clare. Stressing the ‘apparent universal, intactablity and unmccetabity ofthe problem of ‘lence, the theories prominent in Anglo Saxon ly ere focus tangy on the irtinality and teataliy of wilence. Ii certainly teeing to feak ‘thatthe approach to violence adestd in he dacpine af ehlogy — which violence is seen ales partly a having genetic determinants — is Father cose to Angi Senon folk es, chogh fam sure hat the ethos ‘hemsehes would reject the view tha hei theories have Bee nfueeed a thie way (ct. HIME Ebesfelde 1979: Riches 1986). But move than this, suey can also stand accuse of bei nuncel by thei nora theories and ratonalintons as Graham MeFaclne shows in bis eater i this book on viene in rural Northern Ieund In McFarlane’ pinien the Ssnthropologist lng and intimate ssciation with particu communis, ‘whose member blee itis bey thinlable for abe member to cary out inlence agaist anther, my wel hae el oaalyes which emphasize the communities? harmony ad iteration and which can be ssi at ods vi realy How eel, then, ian attempt to appreciate violence cost cuturlh? ‘The fat that ations which "we recognine as vient may be ndecioed rather differently in he cltars, tomizes the doubts which many have ‘apressed a to ter 'volece’ con be acalopically seal eatery $etion (Hela 1982} But T would not wish to prejinge the mater perp ‘ome sniversl ‘or’ understending canbe uncovers any event he ois of departure in thi chapter is che Anglo-Saxon gotion — transparent © ‘mesningll category for most Englshpeakers! For acres ali toe rexsonabl it mast do justice to people's uederstasings so theres some sense in my depeying the everyday corgi of my own clr worl ten though the explanations of viene that evenly fer wl hae been filtered trough the language of ordinary pele Inthe end I hope to deuce eran soil procesesimpated by Anglo Son ies of vlence which fposly ean be daceroed in ater ealtaal — eapeclly on Western eins But before begining, tight meion that a the closing cher in ‘his tok Dail Pain offers the ompemeatary proce, sing that the ‘The Phenomenon of Violence 3 analysis of cerain non Western ideas provides insights ico Anglo-Saxon Understandings. "A apparent prox may be noted as 2 gue to the following dtcussion “Thisisthat"wiolene’ is ery cha word of those who witness of who ae ‘stn of certain ats, rater than af these who perform them Yet wha is Teired i that performance shld he understod sal explained Idee the rosecultra apyeciaton ofthe performance ef action dered ile is the major aim a this chaer. In the face of his pradoe I elee the fects tus iniily be pa sua on the wines nd victim, examining "lence init fasdamental senses we concer the ae ofthe tera "Wolence’'by the English spenking ly perm, However, because such we sprite in he politi? lations btwn performer onder itars out ha emportant Insights ot the performers perspective can he seerated quite quick. "TE WITNESS PERSPECTIVE (ANGLOSAXON CULTURE} | sigifcant background of cura valves and ens is lay the context forthe major meaning ofthe teres volece’ ia AngleSaxon culture. The ‘alent pont that mben «wines or victim inves the nin of violence, ‘hey make a jdgement not jst thatthe acton concerned cases physi hur but ao that es legitimate By implication, Angle Sazon uorstndings inde tat physic hurt doe to atees’ counts as violence only in crtain svi contests laa negtive sense these content i this respect she “te. The physical force employed by the state as Radeife Brown told us sn east, government pica organizatie! and not lence (1940: ‘vk Als the fat that soe phys force does oe normally amount to inne’ lis oan a of soil order, o which the notion of viene is inextricably coumterpose. En the alla ofthe state ain world affair the once of peace tpl invoked to describe te ial conn of such ‘cil eve. In David Parks chap in this took, the opposition between Tentinate and iegimate uses of phys force ie shown 10 be ney reared in London Metropolitan Police poster, which scems to be ating {he public to respond othe activites ofthe petty ena wich physical fore The ptr fet clery steed odie frm che fact ha for an tm othe state aparently tobe fcting the populace 10 valence wil be seen as Pgh radial an resting eta ens pg Pedi osrtacansucoes Tien hip4 Devi Richer iis evident then that when the term volenc’ i being ws, tention shoud racy be facie on sho is abeling piven ct a such and most ‘pecially tei soil postion, Ie folios tha violence fa conape which can fal he manoeural into an Sdolgial ambience coming particu) to symbolize moral impropriety in range of actions ae plces. Through aps tf langination peg can erste that cso lence ac nexticay Und ‘eth ther act pling sca deorder (esi, polite ane) $0 {hasbeen with the moral panics aout fotall spear wolence tat have trien in Britain duriag the pst contry. These ve undoubtedly Been ‘ccasioned through sich violence being idetifed wich rather diferent ‘ethics which thatten che sca ab in conideraly more profound ‘vey (herel fer tothe chapter inthis bok y Erie Duming Patrick Morphy sl John Willams), Sometimes the sdesogial possibilities of violence sre ‘lc rengnined by ein nds inthe commen. The pronounce ‘meat by an Anglican bishop, a te te ofthe Bish mies suck in 19845, tha the socal al eesnomie neglect of mining communities in cera prs of Brinn sould be regarded asa vilenee ian example. What es fom this discussion tat alts sy the tern “violence ven ia simple descriptions of certin ats of physical hurt, might wel be forthright oat the possible Meologial stance they themselves ie entertaining, ‘Gpecielly when they employ sich arguably controversial phranes tate ‘lence’ of working clas violence? “TE PERFORMERS PERSPECTIVE (ANGLOSAXON CULTURE} ‘The analytical focus inthe study of violence which reguices that the rerlormers ations command central tention ie Sound tobe compromised lightly, forthe performer may well deny thatthe actions concerned can properly be called "vslest” ~ eapecally when violence is allowed is onnotton of legitimacy, But the antvopoogia’s tase moc to explain Actions than to abel them, 3 eis dfGelty should aot ke troubling. For ‘enveniene, the performer's action an be calle vile, corresponding 0 the commonsenscal meaning of the term 25 the intentional eerig of psa! hurt oa another hua bein. But one ting does alow fro the Shift i icerest fom wines to performer. The connation of valence as ‘Msc est At we sl sce, defocus in ths cpt isn what gals imgnacy tap ‘The Phenomenon of Violence 5 practical ot ‘symbol’ — people chive by behaving violent, and on why ffom among eter alteatives people spicy chon wilence 0 sve for thee goals. To the extent that performers conceive of vilence 2s something which cn he pdictably deployed 0 met some end (incting hange inte soil system), eas of odor cull reasonably be pertinent 0 the anys, Homener, my pference it consider the performers actions thwoush such concep stale a Meaning, eis these otons which ie lech the examination ofthe performer’ perspective in wht follows. For the perenne of vnenc inte" Anglo Suro! sock, particular act wal very likely have several exe purposes, one of which will probaly Prelominate ad wil thereto give the act ts pinay Senseo meaning, But forthe act ll into the category of lence’ sages that some core purpose cotimon al acts of lence, at lesen its pformance {eis ebvionly morte to uncover thi purpose and asa is presence sn spec examples of violence. * “Todisern the core purpose, the poiticl rations between performer and seating) wineses look oiler the mos promising contest. Aa essed spect of such politica lations ha the performer will argue forthe a's iegitingcy. whist the witnesaes and victims) wil deem i legtinate. fo fial attest uphold their respective stances both ses will appeal to ‘oci roles and values, each entering the elim that jsice es with heir Ferformance o opinion. I soggest thatthe coe purpose of vslence stems fom a eontatction in his sitation which performers have fae. In he Git place violence i a means of social advancement whose recipients — ‘lms or witees — ar, by definition, unwilling eeipens. But, at he Se tine, itn and wits ave tobe persndedof he e's acceptably, forthe etre ml certainly wh to dapen dowa the pesbiy oa ie teply The purse of violence which best evs his courdiion — hrogh Which advancement achieved ond a mensare of legitimacy claimed — tactic preemyion, be securing practical vantage over ones opponents in thes een thug forestaling tei atv, Fox pfomes of violence, then the notion of tactealpreerion fs vital, n that peed o give an neue of theses they canoer deeice teough aking the ea explicit thongh it i adly nea to say tha when someone ists thatthe ‘sl ome hi prone catweghs dhe safeing eansed victims ad wines (ay well of concur. at why tata peer? 1 dae this rm two fats. st, sca sects in general may be most realy jstiied i they can be preseated 2s hve, and seco that ia lent 2 the naa fect stoi 1 vet's oats. The unate defence fo al wn acs wl aecodingy te pen asthe unimpeachable neces of mediately halting some aspect