Political Engagement, Violence and Processes of (De)Civilisation In the Face of Crises

The aim of this session is to examine changes in attitudes towards violence within political engagement and resistance to oppression in the 20^th and 21^st centuries. It focuses on the use of violence in response to institutionalised and systemic violence perpetrated by the state, the army and the police, as well as gender-based, generational and environmental violence.

The process of civilisation as described by Norbert Elias — state formation and democratization — has legitimised violence in times of war and against outsiders. Nevertheless, it has tended to reduce certain forms of violence, particularly physical violence, in the resolution of social conflicts.

The challenges linked to survival and civilization have now taken on a global dimension in relation to the environment and fundamental rights. The session asks: How and why do certain forms of activism use violence in aiming to put an end to the violence against the planet and dominated groups? How do violent forms of activism connect to conventions of rationalism and pacifism in a world facing multiple crises? How can this be examined in terms of processes of civilisation and decivilisation?

Drawing on perspectives from the historical sociology of politics and international relations, as well as sociological and political theory, this session is also open to case studies focusing on crises and forms of activism of all kinds. On a theoretical level, it draws on the work of Elias, Andrew Linklater, Günther Anders, Jürgen Habermas, Edgard Morin and Charles Tilly, but is also open to other theoretical perspectives.