What Counts as 'Violence?' Semantic Divergence in Cultural Conflicts

Bibliographic Data

ID2153553
AuthorsDaniel J Boches (University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA, corresponding author), M Cooney (0000-0002-6758-3330, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA)
Year2023
Volume44
Issue2
Pages175-189
Publication date2023-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueDeviant Behavior (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0163-9625 • E-ISSN: 1521-0456
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01639625.2021.2024776
OpenAlexW4205755668
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited27

In times of conflict, the meaning of words tends to fluctuate. For example, the word “violence” traditionally refers to physical force against people or property. However, some have expanded the term “violence” to include non-force (e.g., speech). Conversely, others have actively avoided the “violence” label to describe clear instances of force (e.g., property destruction). When the definitions of concepts expand and contract, semantic divergence – the degree of disagreement over the meaning of words – increases. Drawing on the work of Donald Black, we derive a partial explanation for the semantic divergence of “violence” labeling in cultural conflicts. First, at the macro-level, as social intimacy and inequality have declined over the past few hundred years, violence has become increasingly stigmatized, rendering an allegation of “violence” a potentially powerful weapon for deployment against cultural opponents. Second, at the case-level, social distance and partisanship, fostered by the internet, combine to produce social polarization – factions internally close but externally distant – of which a predictable result is the semantic divergence of “violence

Divergence (linguistics · Linguistics · Rendering (computer graphics · Sociology · Computer Science · Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice · Political Conflict and Governance · Psychology · Social Psychology · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

Tools

Open DOI