Peacebuilding &conflict transformation A ... - Peaceworkafrica

1. IntroductionViolence is a phenomenon that is neither clearly defined nor strictly differentiatedin science or in everyday speech. When violence is mentioned in the media, it usuallyrefers to one of the following aspects of violence:▶ A violent crime like robbery or murder,▶ Vandalism, meaning the deliberate destruction of property,▶ Rioting, or a violent disturbance at mass events like concerts,football matches or strikes,▶ Xenophobic violence in the sense of violence targeted againsta particular section or group of society,▶ Violence between groups, such as violent exchange between rival groupsor politically motivated violence.The practice of violence, like all actions, changes the world,but the most probable change is to a more violent world 1 .The aim of discussing violence in this book is to gain awareness of the various layersof violence, its forms, effects and how it is embedded in our daily lives. The informationin this book may provoke thoughts and answers to questions like the following:▶ Where does violence come from?▶ Where does violence start, where does it end?▶ Where can we draw the lines between conflicts and violence to developa comprehensive definition of violence?▶ Is the threat to commit violence already a form of violence?▶ Does violence require action or can an action not carried outbe violence?▶ How and why do we find ways and means to use violence?▶ Assuming that violence is language and a means of communication,how then can we decode its messages?▶ What stabilizes and what provokes violence?▶ How can we identify the relationship between violent act andacceptance of violence?▶ How can we assess the tolerance, approval, propagation and stimulationof violence?▶ Can one threaten violence to avoid more terrible violence?▶ Can violence be legitimized or is violence always (morally) reprehensible?The list could be continued. However, the information presented in this chapter mayinspire more ideas and additional questions from you — the reader 2 .142 V. V I O L E N C E