Violence market
The sociological term “ markets of violence” was developed in the 1990s by the German ethnosociologist Georg Elwert and describes social spaces in which violence is used as a political strategy to satisfy market economy interests. These are areas open to violence, in which violence is not regulated by a monopoly of force or norms, as is the case in domestic conflicts or civil wars . Elwert refers, for example, to African societies such as Somalia , Liberia , Angola or Zaire , where this phenomenon has already been observed.
The use of force in these conflicts does not take place for emotional reasons or in an irrational way, but is used rationally by warlords, entrepreneurs, politicians or religious leaders, the so-called warlords , to maximize profit . Even if ostensibly ethnic, religious or political motives for the use of violence appear to be decisive, according to Elwert, the economic motives guide the actors in action.
According to Elwert, these move in a strategic triangle between the three poles of robbery, trade and time in order to optimize the cost-benefit relationship. The market economy system is shifting towards markets, where a lot of money can be turned over with relatively little effort, for example through the trade in drugs , weapons , gold and precious stones or through robbery, extortion, piracy, hostage-taking and the collection of protection money and customs duties ( under threat of violence). An environment is created in which no general protection against violence is offered, so that the demand for alternative protection options increases enormously. The system of the violent markets thus stabilizes itself. This development is also accelerated by the correlation of the motives retention of power, retention of prestige and acquisition of goods. Propaganda mobilizes followers and demoralizes supposed enemies.
The concept of violent markets offers an instrument for a more detailed analysis of the interests and processes of political violence or terrorist organizations .
literature
- Georg Elwert : Anthropological Perspectives on Conflict. In: Julia M. Eckert (Ed.): Anthropology of Conflicts, Georg Elwert's conflict-theoretical theses in discussion. Transcript, Bielefeld 2004, pp. 26-38.
- Georg Elwert: Markets of Violence. In: Derselbe, Stephan Feuchtwang , Dieter Neubert (eds.): Dynamics of Violence. Processes of Escalation and De-Escalation in Violent Group Conflicts. Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1999, pp. 85-102 (English).
- Georg Elwert: Violence as a staged suddenness. In: Jan Koehler, Sonja Heyer (Hrsg.): Anthropology of violence. Berlin 1998, pp. 1-7.
- Georg Elwert: Violent Markets. In: Trutz von Trotha (ed.): Sociology of violence (= Cologne journal for sociology and social psychology . Special issue 37). Cologne 1997.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Kristyna Havelkova: The conflict in Somalia from the perspective of two anthropological conflict theories. Diploma thesis , Institute for Cultural and Social Anthropology, University of Vienna 2009 ( PDF file; 824 kB; 121 pages on univie.ac.at).