Description
Book SynopsisWars have a destructive impact on society. The violence in the first case is domicide, in the second urbicide, in the third genocide, and in the fourth, the book introduces a neologism, sociocide, the killing of society. Through the lens of this neologism, Keith Doubt provides persuasive evidence of the social, political, and human consequences of today’s wars in countries such as Bosnia and Iraq. Sociocide: Reflections on Today’s Wars rigorously formulates, develops, and applies the notion of sociocide as a Weberian ideal type to contemporary wars. Drawing upon sociology, anthropology, philosophy, and literature, Doubt analyzes war crimes, scapegoating, and torture and concludes by examining capitalism in the face of the coronavirus pandemic as a sociocidal force. Embedded in the humanistic tradition and informed by empirical science, this book provides a clear conceptual account of today’s wars, one that is objective and moral, critical and humanistic.
Trade ReviewKeith Doubt's Sociocide is an important book that diagnoses the deep and worsening trouble the world is in. It is original, serious, well-informed, and clearly written--a tribute to an author who has not only read widely but lived seriously and spent time in one of the world's most troubled places. This is a must read not just for students and their teachers but for anyone who is willing to think about how much trouble the world is in.
-- Charles Lemert, University Professor of Social Theory, Emeritus, Wesleyan University
Georg Simmel once asked, 'How is society possible?' Doubt flips the question on its head, turning to the dark side to investigate how society is undone, how it unravels. He does so in a far-ranging, interdisciplinary inquiry into the phenomenon he calls 'sociocide.' The book insightfully and humanely examines such topics as the meaning of burial and the failure of the Dayton Accords, along with inquiries into the destructiveness of war, torture, scapegoating, pariah status, and pandemics. By focusing on society’s fragility, Doubt offers a timely reminder of its value.
-- Peter Kivisto, Augustana College and University of Helsinki
Table of ContentsChapter One On Sociocide
Chapter Two Sociocide and the US Invasion of Iraq
Chapter Three The Ethical Requirement of Burial, Humanity, and its Transgression: Classical Anthropology Applied
Chapter Four The Iron Cage of Surreality: A Foucaultian Critique of the Dayton Accords
Chapter Five Social Order Without Scapegoating: A Critique of René Girard
Chapter Six The Reality of Torture and Sociocide
Chapter Seven The Lure of the Pariah: Hannah Arendt, W. E. B. DuBois, and Franz Fanon
Chapter Eight The Spirit of Capitalism in the Face of the Coronavirus Pandemic
Chapter Nine How an Apology Works: Exit from Sociocide
