Violence and Warfare exam two

how does warfare change with the appearance of civilizations?

larger scale, higher intensity wars, more deaths, developed strategies, conquest for labor

War becomes more organized, expensive and intense

Status rivalry and warfare in complex societies: just a game between elites?

War used to exercise power within the society to maintain peace within the population

reinforced status differences between elite and commoners

Was warfare the principle driver in the development of complex societies? Why or Why not?

Maya warfare (alliances, trade access, trust); Roman warfare (triumphs, defensive)

war was a vehicle upward social mobility

Archaeological correlates of warfare

settlement spacing, defensive architecture, weapons, site destruction, artistic depictions of warfare, skeletal trauma

Myth of the Noble Savage and Myth of the Garden of Eden....why are the myths wrong?

Romanticize the past - offer simple stories about human nature and the environment

ignore scientific evidence, cultural nuance, and historical complexity

Patterns of warfare: natural forces, human impacts, or both?

Both - climate change is a ‘threat multiplier’

The correlation between warfare and natural disaster (resource unpredictability), Ember and Ember

Fear of natural disaster and loss of resources causes people to act out and also fear each other.

Don’t want to be left without survival tools when they are needed most

Does a fear/anxiety of nature translate to a fear of outsiders?

Yes because of the fear of loss of resources and theft

Climate Change and Warfare: The Resource Scarcity Model

Prehistoric examples of warfare, climate change and resource scarcity – Andean hilltop settlements, wars among pastoralists in E. Africa. Syrian civil war

The catastrophic convergence

warfare + poverty + violence (Parenti)

Militarization is a response to the catastrophic convergence in the tropics (Parenti)

Warfare over resources:

African minerals, Water wars, US invasion of Iraq for oil?

Warfare, ecology and the collapse of complex societies

the Roman empire and Maya

Environmental stress can spark war - loss of resources (famine)

Warfare typically a symptom of societal stress and collapse

“Environmental Determinism” and the explanation of warfare, why should we be cautious?

Environmental determinism tends to ignore or downplay these human choices, reducing people to passive actors in the face of nature

Environmental stress may contribute to conflict, but it doesn’t guarantee it

Do humans only fight when they are hungry

No, many reasons for warfare

Do environments and resources cause warfare? Or do people? What is the role of leaders?

environments and resources create pressures, but people, especially leaders, decide how to respond

Heat and climate change leading to climate migration; conflict at borders (Global north/south)

The Global North contributed most to historical carbon emissions, while the Global South bears the brunt of the consequences

Resource wars and conflict

gold, oil, water, lithium....Reading from Sudan

People want the most resources and security

How does technology change warfare?

Arms race, imbalance of power, fear, advantage, logistics

military drones, muskets in New Zealand, horse on the Great Plains, armor/horses/tactics in the Spanish conquest of the Inca

What are the ethical dilemmas of defense killing of enemies in other countries with military drones? Is it justified? When?

Sometimes - but only with extreme caution, strong legal frameworks, and constant ethical scrutiny

When in the case of their men or ours it is hard not to choose ours.

How does information technology (Facebook) impact violence? (i.e. Sri Lanka, Ukraine)

can fuel violence by spreading misinformation, hate speech, and propaganda—especially in fragile societies

Sri Lanka - helped incite anti-Muslim riots

Ukraine- used for Russian disinformation.

Ritual warfare

conflict that follows cultural or religious rules, often focused on prestige, honor, or symbolic outcomes rather than territorial gain or full-scale destruction

Symbolic violence

non-physical harm that reinforces social hierarchies or control through language, media, or cultural norms, such as through discrimination, marginalization, or exploitation

Cultural meaning and “naturalizing” of ritual violence makes it real; subtle to obvious forms

Roman gladiators, Andean tinku, NFL football, haka in rugby, Maya ballgame, Sacrifice and power in ancient Latin America - urban landscapes, sacrifice and elite power

Apocalypto video

Game of sacrifice - something to be celebrated and a big event for everyone to watch

Are sports ritual warfare? Why? Do sports replace the need/urge for warfare? Video games?

Yes - because they involve structured competition, honor, and limited harm, similar to ritualistic battles

Sports may replace the urge for warfare by providing a non-lethal outlet for competition

video games offer a form of symbolic conflict but with even less physical risk

a detached form of competition and strategic play

Is ritual warfare a way to avoid “real” or lethal violence (Roscoe)?

Regulate conflict

Symbolic rather than lethal

Social cohesion

What are subtle and direct forms of symbolic gendered violence

Subtle

Media portrayals: Women often depicted in passive, secondary, or stereotypical roles

Language: Gendered slurs or terms that undermine women’s authority or worth.

Cultural norms: Subtle expectations about women’s behavior (e.g., “appropriate” careers or roles).

Direct

Sexual harassment: Verbal or physical abuse that objectifies or dehumanizes women.

Economic inequality: Pay disparity or lack of opportunities, directly reinforcing power imbalances.

Exclusion from leadership: Women being denied positions of power or decision-making authority.

How can violence against women (spouses, girlfriends) be acceptable by both men and women in many parts of the world?

violence against women is often accepted due to deep-rooted cultural norms that perpetuate gender inequality, where violence is seen as a tool for control or discipline

How does psychology affect motivations for as well the effects of violence and warfare

the motivation for violence and warfare (through fear, anger, group identity, etc.) and in its long-term effects (such as PTSD, moral injury, and social trauma)

Psychological Causes/Conditions

Anger, Grief, Revenge, Fear, Obedience, Honor, Pride, Stress

Dehumanization and erosion of empathy

shows how psychology can lead to violence and war

Dehumanization and the erosion of empathy are psychological mechanisms that lower the moral barriers to violence.

allow individuals and groups to justify extreme actions like warfare, genocide, and terrorism

Milgram study on obedience

Had people use electric shocks in order to teach the ‘learner’

Used to test the obedience to authority

Diversion of blame - people were more likely to harm someone when the blame wouldn’t fall directly on them

Psychological warfare

propaganda, “hearts and minds”, PsyOps, misinformation

How does psychology explain the recruitment, deployment and aftermath of child soldiers?

Easier to manipulate, want to fit in and belong

Need the resources for survival - need to do it for their family

Rosaldo’s grief and headhunting in the Philippines

grief turning to violence

Grief can make a human feel so many different emotions and react in many different ways in order to process those feelings

Impacts of war on soldiers

psychological [PTSD, TBI], physical [injuries, death]

Why is it “hard for men to kill”? What tools/strategies allow them to kill?

Distance, leaders, Stress inoculation

Paul Farmer

Medical anthropologist

The poor and powerless embody structural violence which are reflected in disparities in physical and mental health rooted in structured inequalities

Suffering is violence

Genocide

deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious or national group - the enemy is not a competitor that must be conquered

What are warning signs and/or steps towards genocide?

inequality, poverty, economic instability, coup attempts, levels of authoritarianism, civil rights, political killings, ethnic polarization, type of government (almost dictatorship).

preceded by social upheavals, a radical decline in economic conditions, political disorganization, undermining of traditional values

How does genocide potentially converge all aspects, dynamics and approaches to human violence and war?

Starvation

Steel weapons (machetes) and guns

Burning and drowning

Labor/Extermination camps

Death Marches (“Trail of Tears”)

Poisonous Gas(Armenia, Kurds, Jews))

Disease (Conquest of the Americas)

Psychological Tools (Radio)

Why does the phrase “Never Again” not seem to be working? How do we prevent genocide?

Awareness

Compassion

Empathy

Action

Justice/Accountability

Tolerance

Memory

Reparations

New identities