Enemies of all humankind : fictions of legitimate violence / Sonja Schillings.
Hostis humani generis, meaning "enemy of humankind," is the legal basis by which Western societies have defined such criminals as pirates, torturers, or terrorists as beyond the pale of civilization. Sonja Schillings argues that this legal fiction does more than characterize certain person...
Saved in:
| Online Access: |
Full Text (via OAPEN) |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Other title: | Violence in Anglo-American modernity. |
| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Hanover, New Hampshire :
Dartmouth College Press, an imprint of University Press of New England,
[2017]
|
| Series: | Re-mapping the transnational.
|
| Subjects: |
| Summary: | Hostis humani generis, meaning "enemy of humankind," is the legal basis by which Western societies have defined such criminals as pirates, torturers, or terrorists as beyond the pale of civilization. Sonja Schillings argues that this legal fiction does more than characterize certain persons as inherently hostile: it provides a narrative basis for legitimating violence in the name of the state. The work draws attention to a century-old narrative pattern that not only underlies the legal category of enemies of the state, but more generally informs interpretations of imperial expansion, protest against government-sponsored oppression, and the transformation of institutions as "legitimate" interventions on behalf of civilized society. |
|---|---|
| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (x, 287 pages) |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 247-278) and index. |
| ISBN: | 1512600172 9781512600179 |
| Source of Description, Etc. Note: | Print version record. |