Enemies of All Humankind : Fictions of Legitimate Violence
Schillings, Sonja
Enemies of All Humankind : Fictions of Legitimate Violence - Hanover, NH, USA Dartmouth College Press 2016
Open Access
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.
Creative Commons
English
oapen_625275 9781512600759
10.26530/oapen_625275 doi
Literature & literary studies
Literature Civilization Essentialism Hostis humani generis Piracy State of nature Totalitarianism United States
Enemies of All Humankind : Fictions of Legitimate Violence - Hanover, NH, USA Dartmouth College Press 2016
Open Access
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.
Creative Commons
English
oapen_625275 9781512600759
10.26530/oapen_625275 doi
Literature & literary studies
Literature Civilization Essentialism Hostis humani generis Piracy State of nature Totalitarianism United States