The Archaeology of War: The History of Violence between the 20th and 21st Centuries

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The twentieth century holds many titles that emphasise the extraordinary. It was a century of totalitarianism, but also one of betrayal, an age of extremes and the incomprehensible.

Betrayed, that is, at the mercy of unrestrained violence, were not only the people themselves, but also, as it were, the idea of the human being. For up to a certain point, one could weigh oneself in an unfounded security of an inner connection between people. As is well known, such certainties were knocked out of hand in that century. Many situations, many images, motifs and sources can be named for this experience of unbounded violence, which now, at the beginning of the 21st century, requires new forms of transmission. In an era flooded with images, however, attention is more difficult. One has to embark on a search for traces; not because the sources are lacking, but because the form of inscription in history is problematic. This search for clues leads directly to the present monograph.

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How deep do we have to look into history to decipher the riddle of violence Author Christian Wevelsiep addresses this question in The Archaeology of War. It is a writing of the highest topicality, for which no proof is needed, and at the same time a draft with normative urgency. How can we control the violence that extends across all epochs Probably only by clarifying the psychological and social conditions under which we encounter each other Lutz Ellrich, University of Cologne, Institute for Media Culture, Germany.

Author Bio

Christian Wevelsiep, born on 18 November 1969 in Bochum, Germany, studied special education, philosophy and sociology. Since 2009 he is lecturer of political sociology at the European University Flensburg. He specialises in political theory, history and philosophy, main topics being the history and theory of violence.