For you who wants to know more Nonviolence & Conflict Management

What is violence?

The experience that words can hurt is a phenomenon we all have experience of. Words used with the purpose of doing damage are sometimes used in non-hurtful situations but hurt anyway. Violence exists on different levels, both open and hidden. The Norwegian peace researcher Jörgen Johansen has defined violence partly as “to consciously reduce another human beings possibilities of a full life”. It can be of interest to reflect around what could be included in that term.

Another definition we will be using here as a complement to Johansens is the Norwegian peace researcher Johan Galtungs division of violence in three categories: Direct violence, Structural violence and Cultural violence. These types of violence are illustrated in the iceberg below. 5

In a warm and loving

environment the iceberg

of violence melts, in cold

surroundings it remains.


⁵

Direct Violence
Direct violence is the form of violence in which there are one or more discernible perpetrators who, through word or action injure one or more individuals. This takes the form of physical violence, such as assault or war, or psychological violence, such as mobbing or degradation. Direct violence is perhaps the most obvious and visible form of violence. In figure 5) above, direct violence is symbolised by the area of the iceberg above water.
Violation
On a relations level, the risk is great that in a conflict situation we tend to see one another as a problem. Violation can also occur when we do not even have a subject on which we disagree. Example of violation is:

Talking badly about someone behind their back (rumour spreading and bullshit)

Freezing a person out of a group, being condescending, ignoring, harassing and in other ways abusing

(mobbing and isolating)

Physically hurting one another.

It is important not to blame the injured party, irrespective of events prior to the violation. Bullshit, mobbing and violence should always be stopped. The main responsibility for this lies with the third person (not involved in the conflict), who can create an intervention. The following passage is about common problems and violation in places of work.

Mobbing: Group violence among children and adults in 1972.

How can mobbing be explained? It is not just those who are particularly cruel who mob, seemingly anyone can. Mobbing occurs in groups, something which probably the majority of group members dislike. There is a difference between group morals and individual morals. In the group, responsibility is common to all in the group, whereas individuals behave differently as themselves.

Mobbing can comprise of both physical and psychological violence. A British investigation shows that the most dangerous form of mobbing is isolation and neglect, that is to say psychological violence. According to the investigation those who survive mobbing “best” are those who are subjected to physical violence only.

An example of mobbing can be a person who is made suspicious, marked as a deviant or continually ridiculed.

The victim has great difficulty in escaping from the situation. Should the victim defend her/himself or show signs of being influenced by the mobbing then this becomes a part of the mobbing. It is therefore the passive members of the group who, in the first instance, can act to prevent the mobbing.

In a group with mobbing tendencies, it is often the minority who are the driving force the rest being more passive. Those who are passive may pity the victim, but dare not take action as this could mean loss of face or make the situation even worse. It is because of this passive behaviour that mobbing is possible. Violation perpetrated by one or more, becomes representative for the whole group. It is this which gives a “mild” violation such a strong effect on the victim. The passive group members have the function of a very loud silence.

If a person in the group makes her/his voice heard when some is said to be a problem or is ridiculed then the group consensus is broken. The perpetrator no longer represents the group. There is no longer a mob and the strong effects of mobbing disappear. This gives hope. Groups are not predestined to mob. We have the possibility of intervention. At the same time it is not an easy task. It demands that we overcome our fears and other questions which prevent us from acting.

It has been shown that mobbing is a difficult problem in “kind cultures” where the ideal is to be kind and loving. The problem is that in such a culture, avoiding conflict is common. It can be taboo to question or comment on a situation. In such a context, to prevent mobbing becomes very difficult. Mobbing in “kind cultures” is perhaps more subtle, but achieves the same devastating results.

Most would agree that we should act to stop mobbing. Mobbing is illegal. In can at times be difficult to be sure that what perceive, is mobbing. If someone is insulted, is that person mobbed? Where is the border between conflict and mobbing?

As a rule, if someone is repeatedly insulted, ridiculed or said to be a “problem” there is a high risk of mobbing.

The victim does not need to be present. Talking behind a persons back and slander are usual ingredients in mobbing. The difficulty is that single violations may not be experienced as particularly serious, but the collective effect is always mobbing.

To just stand and watch

is also a way of

agreeing

A comparison of how many people die as a result of different types of violence, cultural violence is “supreme” – poverty kills most people on the earth. Each year, 6.3 million children under the age of five die if starvation⁶ and every day 30,000 children die of preventable illnesses⁷

Feminism implies to fight against sexism. Many feminists mean that the basic problem with sexism is the separation of men and women who are described as essentially different beings.

Yvonne Hirdman emphasises that the subordinate role women would not be possible if it were not for the widespread belief that women and men are fundamentally different. If this is true, and there is good reason to believe it is so then it becomes a problem distinguishing women and men. To distinguish is not to belittle, quite the opposite it can be uplifting. “You who are a woman and cook delicious food, you can have responsibility for the food during the party”. This kind of statement supports the difference of gender by idealising women. It is also a form of sexism. Sexism can be both disparaging comments and unasked for flirts.

Sexual harassment is forbidden by law. “By sexual harassment is meant such unwelcome behaviour based on gender or unwelcome behaviour of a sexual nature which violates the integrity of the employee⁸. To be exposed to this can lead to legal proceedings. It is the law has to exposed person that decides what is unwelcomed, insulting or whether the place of work is experienced as being insecure. Here there is particular reason to work with the victim role and how it can be

changed. Read what the say about sexual harassment at www.jamobud.se The Norwegian professor Berit Ås has studied how sexism is expressed. The title of her findings is The Five Dominating Techniques. They are:
Disregard/Ignore

Ridicule

Double Punishment

Projection of blame and shame
By learning to identify and name these domination techniques we can more easily help one another to avoid them. After Berit Ås theory other feminists have identified additional domination techniques. Read more on the web about “Short Cuts to Equality” ( Ungdomsstyrelsen). For methods and strategies see www.ungdomsstyrelsen.se

Racism

Racism is the opinion based on the delusion that we human beings are in fact several different origins and that this is of importance for society. The own race shall be kept free from foreign elements. The ideology orf racism grew with colonialism. This made it legitimate for the Western World to colonise Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Today, it is quite unusual for people to call themselves racist. On the other hand, racial patterns exist in some societies. Different skin colours in different places can be the difference between getting housing and employment. The term “race” is not used so much today, it has been replaced a new word, culture and cultural background.

There are delusions such as a person from a certain culture will behave in a certain way. This way of thinking tends to strengthen prejudice about different groups. To say that Africans are good at dancing – they have rhythm in their blood, even if not in ill-will, is to categorise and is very difficult to escape from. The problem is similar with sexism. By emphasizing distinguishing features in different cultures a hierarchy can be established in which cultures are placed in a certain order.

If you are a white heterosexual man you have a much better chance of attaining power and influence in society than if you are a lesbian woman with an immigrant background.

Cultural Violence

Cultural violence is symbolised by water and air, in the iceberg model. By this Galtung means that the structural violence is legitimised by the culture it exists in. We can for example say that it is structural violence when world trade structures press the price of coffee so low that the plantage workers have to live in total poverty. The fact that we prioritise the low price of coffee more than the situation of the plantage workers is cultural violence; it is the approval of structural violence.

An important aspect of culture is the language we use. How do we address one another and what are the consequences? When people shout things like “bitch” or bloody miscarriage” at one another one can say it creates a cold climate and the acceptance of violence increases. It does not have to be such hard words either.

How do we behave to ourselves? Which words do we call ourselves if we make a mistake or feel a lot of “I must” things growing in ourselves?

The relationship of cultural violence with the other two types is not “one way”, for just as cultural acceptance can legitimise violence so can continual violence increase the social acceptance because we no longer react in the face of it. Even if it is a long way from solving all the problems it can be a good start to begin with language and think about which negative and unnecessary words we use.