The Barren Sacrifice by Paul Dumouchel
According to political theory, the primary function of the modern state is to protect its citizens-both from each other and from external enemies. Yet it is the states that essentially commit major forms of violence, such as genocides, ethnic cleansings, and large-scale massacres, against their own citizens. In this book Paul Dumouchel argues that this paradoxical reversal of the state's primary function into violence against its own members is not a mere accident but an ever-present possibility that is inscribed in the structure of the modern state. Modern states need enemies to exist and to persist, not because they are essentially evil but because modern politics constitutes a violent means of protecting us against our own violence. If they cannot-if we cannot-find enemies outside the state, they will find them inside. However, this institution is today coming to an end, not in the sense that states are disappearing, but in the sense that they are increasingly failing to protect us from our own violence. That is why the violent sacrifices that they ask from us, in wars and even in times of peace, have now become barren.
The primary function of the modern state is to protect us from our own violencePaul Dumouchel uncovers the hidden paradox behind this classical thesis: why do states commit massive violence against their own citizens? The Barren Sacrifice is a powerful, lively, and clear contribution to penetrate into the heart of new forms of modern and contemporary political violence." - Stefano Tomelleri, Professor of Sociology, University of Bergamo
Paul Dumouchel is Professor of Philosophy at the Graduate School of Core Ethics and Frontier Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781611861839 |
| ISBN 10 | 1611861837 |
| Title | The Barren Sacrifice |
| Author | Paul Dumouchel |
| Series | Studies In Violence Mimesis And Culture |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Michigan State University Press |
| Year published | 2015-11-30 |
| Number of pages | 242 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |