Micro and macro sociological causes of violent atrocities

One form of cruelty arises from ritually bounded social groups, where altruistic morality does not extend beyond the boundaries of one’s own enclave, and deliberate public cruelty to enemies is a ritual of group solidarity. Ritualized public displays of cruelty upon helpless victims are most strongl...

Fuld beskrivelse

Enregistré dans:
Bibliografiske detaljer
Udgivet i:URI:https://journals.openedition.org/spp,
Hovedforfatter: Collins, Randall
Format: Article ou chapitre numérique
Sprog:Anglais
Udgivet: Sociologia, Problemas e Práticas 2013
Fag:
Online adgang:Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM
Beskrivelse
Summary:One form of cruelty arises from ritually bounded social groups, where altruistic morality does not extend beyond the boundaries of one’s own enclave, and deliberate public cruelty to enemies is a ritual of group solidarity. Ritualized public displays of cruelty upon helpless victims are most strongly institutionalized in societies which combine hierarchic stratification with strongly ritualized group membership. Cruelty returns in its second form, bureaucratic callousness, through the impersonal structure of modern warfare and the exercise of organizational power.