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The Anthropology of Violent Interaction

THIS ESSAY ARGUES that the future of anthropology depends in part on sustained reflection on and extended empirical inquiries into violent processes. It places emphasis on the potential that a strengthened anthropology of violence would have for growth in general theory about societies. I return to this assertion toward the end. In the bulk of my essay, I discuss certain-in some cases sketchy-anthropological contributions to thinking about violence. I base my discussion on three assumptions. First, we need theories about violence which are as cross-culturally applicable as possible. Second, we should attempt to build a perspective on the use of violence upon a notion of actions as constituting the "raw material" of society. To put it another way, I am seeking a perspective on violence which aims primarily to understand violence as performance, i.e., as violent action. Third, we need to understand violence by understanding the perspective of the perpetrator. Some research into violence yields limited understanding because it is too focused on the victim.1 If we are to understand violence as performance, we must look for the motives and the values of the user of violence.