Violent Horizons: Understanding Perpetrators of Collective Violence
Professor Brian Schiff, from the American University of Paris, will deliver a talk titled "Violent Horizons: Understanding Perpetrators of Collective Violence."
Where: Friday, November 15th, 10am - 11.30am, Goth. Aud. 1.
Abstract: In this paper, I discuss the various stances that researchers can take toward the study of perpetrators of collective violence. I argue for the importance and utility of stances that attempt to restore words and meanings (Ricoeur, 1970) in order to understand the horizons (Gadamer, 1960/2004) of perpetrators. Using Payton Gendron, who murdered ten African Americans in a Buffalo New York supermarket in May 2022, as a focus of reflection, I argue that restoring the horizons of perpetrators helps us to better understand the various meanings, specifically the language of moral values, that motivate and scaffold violent actions.
The talk is open to all.