Violence: The Difficulties of a Systematic International Review

Abstract

Ambitious academic studies generally serve their purpose when they provide accurate definitions of problems, clear descriptions, considered explanations, as well as convincing assessments, and encourage long-term work in the field. The whole process must be a reflexive one, allowing room for expressions of doubt and maintaining a critical detachment from the subject. This means that an international manual of violence research has to meet certain standards and fulfill certain expectations. The first question to be answered by a manual of this kind, dealing with one of the most enigmatic and, at the same time, most serious social phenomena, concerns the possible forms, types, and characteristics of violence. In answering that question, the manual must carefully distinguish between the many different phenomena, ranging from the individual act to the organized actions of groups or states. Explanations of violence are to be found in quite different academic disciplines and therefore have to be considered across the spectrum from psychological to sociostructural approaches. The standards applied and the normative foundations of assessments need to be clearly stated in each case. Finally, the study must highlight differentiated ways of dealing with violence, from individual therapy to changes in the structure of society. Even taken alone, these reasons are enough to make publishing a manual of violence research a rather audacious venture.