NCJ Number
230307
Editor(s)
Nancy Loucks,
Sally Smith Holt,
Joanna R. Adler
Date Published
2009
Length
214 pages
Annotation
This collection of papers examines violence in many of its manifestations, exploring how culture plays a role in people's understanding of violent action/behavior.
Abstract
This book examines specific instances of killing people and analyzes these with the intention of informing readers, ideally encouraging an examination of one's own ethical beliefs. The topics for this book were chosen specifically to encourage thought about questions of violence and to deal with inconsistencies. It examines why some people condone abortion yet oppose the death penalty; why some condemn suicide yet view the death of suicide bombers as martyrdom; what compels people to take hundreds of school children and their families hostage in Beslan; how could anyone strap explosive devices to two women with learning difficulties and blow them up, along with bystanders; why do ordinary people participate in such extraordinary acts of violence and killing; and what does this say about people collectively and individually? The book attempts to address the violence of killing in its contextual, multilayered and complex manifestations, taking into account how culture plays a pivotal role in understanding violent action yet also remembering the peaceful emphases of various religious and cultural traditions. Each chapter begins with a brief introduction to help tie the themes together. The chapters discuss various forms of killing and reasons behind these. References and epilogue