Why We Kill: Understanding Violence Across Cultures and Disciplines / Edition 2

by Nancy Loucks, Sally Smith Holt, Joanna R. Adler

Overview

Capital punishment, serial killings, war, terrorism, abortion, honour killings, euthanasia, suicide bombings, war, and genocide: all involve the taking of life. Put most simply, all involve killing other people. However, cultural context heavily influences heavily how people perceive these acts, and most people reading this paragraph will likely disagree on the extent to which these "count" as killing.

For such an evolved species, humans can be violent far beyond the point of humanity. Why We Kill examines this violence in its many forms, exploring how culture plays a role in people’s understanding and definition of violent action. From the first chapter, which examines "conventional" homicide, to the final chapter’s bone-chilling account of the Rwandan genocide, this fascinating book makes compelling reading.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367271664
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	03/26/2020
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	234
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Prof. Nancy Loucks OBE, B.A. in Criminology cum laude, M. Phil. and Ph.D. in Criminology (Cantab), is Chief Executive of Families Outside, a national Scottish charity that works on behalf of families affected by imprisonment, as well as Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde’s Centre for Law, Crime & Justice. Prof. Loucks's work has included extensive research in criminology including the imprisonment of women, aspects of prison discipline and control, violence and bullying, use of drugs and alcohol, suicides and self-injury, and the impact of imprisonment on prisoners’ families. Other projects have included research into the employment of people with a criminal record in the European Union, human rights aspects of religious communities in prisons, and risk assessment of serious sexual and violent offenders. Prof. Loucks was awarded an Order of the British Empire in the 2016 New Year’s Honours list for services to Education and Human Rights.

Prof. Joanna R. Adler, Head of the Department of Psychology and Sport Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, B. Sc. (hons); M. Phil. (Cantab.); Ph.D.; C. Psychol. Forens.; FHEA is a professor in Forensic Psychology. She has conducted research in areas including fear, power, and victimisation in prisons; effects of fear of crime on psychological well-being; intra-familial violence; police stress; the punishment of young offenders; radicalisation of "at risk youth" and hate crimes.

Dr. Sally Smith Holt, School of Religion, Belmont University B.A., M. Div., M. A., Ph.D. earned her Ph.D. from the Graduate Department of Religion at Vanderbilt University. She is interested in philosophical and theological ethics and related issues of justice. Much of her current work focuses on world religions and possibilities for dialogue. She works with study abroad programs in Spain and also serves as Site Coordinator for Central Seminary. Dr. Holt is a professor of religion at Belmont University in Nashville, TN.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

Introduction: religion, culture, and killing Nancy Loucks Sally Smith Holt Joanna R. Adler 1

1 Homicide in context Sophie Pike Cheryl Allsop Fiona Brookman 19

2 "You always hurt the one you love": homicide in a domestic context Maria Kaspersson 34

3 Serial killing Elizabeth Yardley 57

4 Mass shootings in America Frederic Lemieux 76

5 Capital punishment: creating more victims? Seema Kandelia 89

6 Abortion Lawrence M. Hinman 109

7 Euthanasia: the moral landscape Lawrence M. Hinman 124

8 Suicide Nooney Kay 140

9 Terrorism: a unique form of political violence Rohan Gunaratna 161

10 Collective violence and war Daya Somasundaram T. Umaharan 180

11 Massacre at Murambi: the rank and file killers of genocide Stephen D. Smith 199

Epilogue: why we kill Nancy Loucks Sally Smith Holt Joanna R. Adler 219

Index 223

Editorial Reviews

"This is an interesting and provocative book which will prove useful for readers in all areas of academic study…. The interdisciplinary approach coupled with varying types of killing provides a fresh outlook on why individuals kill in the first instance. Why We Kill is enthusiastically recommended to anyone interested in the study of killing or fascinated with the reasons for, and justifications of, why people behave the way they do."

– Rachelle M. Larocque, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, in The Howard Journal 49(5), December 2010 (review of the first edition)

"The essays are consistently informed and insightful, and the editors have succeeded in exploring the ‘contextual, multi-layered and complex manifestations’ of killing in this timely volume that will be useful to scholars and accessible to general readers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries."

– Lloyd Steffen, Professor of Religion Studies and Director, Center for Dialogue, Ethics and Spirituality, Lehigh University, in CHOICE 47(11), July 2010 (review of the first edition)

From the Publisher