Violence

Violence (from Old High German waltan "to be strong, to dominate") refers to actions, processes and social contexts in which or through which people, animals or objects are influenced, changed or harmed. For further etymology, see the explanations in the Digital Dictionary of the German Language. Meant is the ability to perform an action that affects the inner or essential core of a matter or structure.

The concept of violence and the assessment of violence changes in the historical and social context. It is also defined and differentiated in different ways depending on the context (such as sociology, jurisprudence, political science). In the sociological sense, violence is a source of power. In the narrower sense, it is often understood as an illegitimate exercise of coercion. In the sense of legal philosophy, violence is synonymous with power (English power, Latin potentia) or domination (potestas). Civil law and criminal law are based on the general prohibition of violence, see also the state's monopoly on the use of force, in which again power is the source of violence. Furthermore, feminism and post-structuralism apply the concept of violence to language.

The World Health Organization defines violence in the report Violence and Health (2002) as follows: "Violence is the actual or threatened intentional use of physical or psychological force or power directed against oneself or another person, group or community that results in actual or high probability of injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation. "

Linguistic context

"Violence" in the sense of governing is found again in terms such as state power or administration. The term is used in the scientific disciplines of state theory, sociology and the philosophy of law. The definition of the term varies greatly depending on the respective epistemological interest.

An originally positive terminology is recognizable in the case of "tremendous effect" or "tremendous achievement", when an achievement exceeding the usual level is to be described in an appreciative manner.

In terms such as the state's monopoly on the use of force or the separation of powers, the term force is used neutrally.

The negative connotation widespread in today's language is contained in terms such as violent act, violent crime, glorification of violence, domestic violence, rape, as well as in the term non-violence, which creates distance.

A narrower concept of violence, also referred to as "material violence", is limited to the targeted physical harm of a person. The broader concept of violence additionally refers to psychological violence (for example in the form of deprivation, emotional neglect, "white torture", verbal violence, emotional violence) and, in its broadest sense, "structural violence". Furthermore, vandalism falls under this concept of violence, although the impact is not directly directed against persons.

History of the representation of violence

Depictions of violence already existed in the art of ancient Egypt. For example, reliefs have survived in which the pharaoh slays subjugated opponents. In the art of Classical Greece, violence could only appear in certain, precisely defined subject areas, especially in depictions of myth and war. In Etruscan art or on coins of the Roman Republic and the Roman Imperial period, sometimes very drastic scenes of violence were depicted. At least in the case of coins, this is official state art due to their sovereign function.

The spread of Christianity also changed the representation of violence in art. The impact on the victims of violence is shown less frequently and with more restraint. With the Gothic period, the depiction of Jesus as dead or suffering on the cross increases.

With the beginning of the modern era, battle painting became an important genre of painting, which experienced its first peak during the Thirty Years'War.

Sword fight on denarius, Roman Republic, ca. 103 BC, Albert No. 1123