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Lecturer(s)
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Rokyta Jan, doc. ThDr. Ph.D.
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Course content
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1. Symbolic and systemic violence. Internal and external violence. Distinction of mechanisms of violence. Internal violence and socialization, external violence and the nature of real war and expansion. 2. The question of violence in "primitive" and "civilized" societies. The contradiction between M. Mead and N. Chagnon in the view of violence and its roots. 3. Violence in polytheistic religions. The theory of J. Assmann. Rome, the link between religion and political loyalty. Antisemitism in antiquity. 4. Distinction: avoiding and normalizing violence in religion. The problem of religious pacifism. The mechanism of the rejection of violence. Historical forms of norming violence in Christianity and Islam. 5. Different theories of religious violence and the emergence of prejudice, the theory of paranoia as a frame of reference for the legitimation of prejudice and violence. Evolutionary theories of the origins of violence in religion. 6. The question of the legitimation of war, holy war, relationship to religious text, literal interpretation of religious text. 7. Psychological moments of religious violence. Transfer of guilt from the perpetrator to the victim, violence committed in the name of the greater good. The cosmic dimension of violence. 8. Religious authority and violence, forms of legitimization of religious violence. Violence in the past legitimizes violence in the present. 9. Situationist approach, group loyalty and violence. Dehumanization and demonization of the adversary. The parallel to the animal as a means of dehumanization. 10. The question of genocide in terms of religious motives, the Vendée War, the slaughter of the Armenian community. Political religion and anti-Semitism. The different phases of the genocide 11. Religious terrorism. Characteristics of terrorism, different historical forms. The possibility of communication and the question of the comprehensibility of motives for violence. 12. Suicide bombings, different theories of interpretation. Disputes over the interpretation of terrorism in contemporary Islam. The position of the individual in religious violence.
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Learning activities and teaching methods
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unspecified, Monologic (reading, lecture, briefing), Projection
- Independent critical reading
- 50 hours per semester
- Preparation for an exam
- 35 hours per semester
- Home preparation for classes
- 38 hours per semester
- Contact teaching
- 26 hours per semester
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Learning outcomes
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The course deals with the relationship between violence and religion on several levels. On the psychological level it focuses on individual radicalization, on the social level on group loyalty. An important issue is the legitimization of violence and the relationship to religious texts.
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Prerequisites
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unspecified
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Assessment methods and criteria
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Oral examination, Student performance assessment, Discussion
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Recommended literature
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Bonner M. Jihad in Islamic History. Princeton University Press, 2006.
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Egger C., Magni-Berton R. The Role of Islamist Ideology in Shaping Muslims Believers. Attitudes toward Terrorism: Evidence from Europe. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. 2019.
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Firestone R. The Origin of Holy War in Islam. 1999.
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Juergensmeyer M. Teror v mysli boží. Brno, 2007.
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Tambiah S. J. Buddhism Betrayed: Religion, Politics, and Violence in Sri Lanka. University of Chicago Press, 1992.
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