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The Will to ViolenceThe Politics of Personal BehaviourSUSANNE KAPPELER |
Sexual violence, racial violence, and the hatred of foreigners: how should we understand these and other forms of violent human behaviour? A brilliantly original analysis of violence in its many forms. Susanne Kappeler argues that violence is not just a social phenomenon which can be analysed scientifically: rather, it is a type of action which individuals ‘will’ or choose to perform. Kappeler maintains that contemporary culture is one where no one is any longer held responsible for their actions and where the conception of universal responsibility becomes the equivalent of universal acquittal.
The Will to Violence is a powerful critique of the structural forces that control our relationships. Eloquent and passionate it exposes a number of assumptions considered fundamental to western philosophical discourse. It contains an important critique of psychoanalysis, discussions of the discourse of racism and the democratisation of violence.
‘Kappeler … takes us through why the personal is political, and where the private comes from, personal communication behaviours, ego-psychology, female desire and the democratisation of violence and relationships as trade.’ —Michelle Mae, Muse
‘…what is this violence and how does it relate to our personal behaviour? This is the topic of Susanne Kappeler’s provocative book. Her ideas are powerfully disturbing and controversial.’ —Lee Cottam, Pandora
