The Hidden Structure of Violence

Acts of violence assume many forms: they may travel bythe arc of a guided missile or in the language of an economic policy, and theymay leave behind a smoldering village or a starved child. The all-pervasivenessof violence makes it seem like an unavoidable, and ultimately incomprehensible,aspect of the modern world. But, in this detailed and expansive book, Marc Pilisuk and Jen Rountree demonstrateotherwise. Widespread violence, they argue, is in fact an expression of theunderlying social order, and whether it is carried out by military forces or bypatterns of investment, the aim is to strengthen that order for the benefit ofthe powerful. The HiddenStructure of Violence marshals vast amounts of evidence to examine thecosts of direct violence, including military preparedness and the socialreverberations of war, alongside the costs of structural violence, expressed aspoverty and chronic illness. It also documents the relatively small number ofpeople and corporations responsible for facilitating the violent status quo,whether by setting the range of permissible discussion or benefiting directly asfinanciers and manufacturers. The result is a stunning indictment of ourviolent world and a powerful critique of the ways through which violence isreproduced on a daily basis, whether at the highest levels of the state or inthe deepest recesses of the mind.