The Phenomenon of Torture
eBook - ePub

The Phenomenon of Torture

Readings and Commentary

  1. 408 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

The Phenomenon of Torture

Readings and Commentary

About this book

Torture is the most widespread human rights crime in the modern world, practiced in more than one hundred countries, including the United States. How could something so brutal, almost unthinkable, be so prevalent? The Phenomenon of Torture: Readings and Commentary is designed to answer that question and many others. Beginning with a sweeping view of torture in Western history, the book examines questions such as these: Can anyone be turned into a torturer? What exactly is the psychological relationship between a torturer and his victim? Are certain societies more prone to use torture? Are there any circumstances under which torture is justified—to procure critical information in order to save innocent lives, for example? How can torture be stopped or at least its incidence be reduced?Edited and with an introduction by the former Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, The Phenomenon of Torture draws on the writings of torture victims themselves, such as the Argentinian journalist Jacobo Timerman, as well as leading scholars like Elaine Scarry, author of The Body in Pain. It includes classical works by Voltaire, Jeremy Bentham, Hannah Arendt, and Stanley Milgram, as well as recent works by historian Adam Hochschild and psychotherapist Joan Golston. And it addresses new developments in efforts to combat torture, such as the designation of rape as a war crime and the use of the doctrine of universal jurisdiction to prosecute perpetrators. Designed for the student and scholar alike, it is, in sum, an anthology of the best and most insightful writing about this most curious and common form of abuse. Juan E. Méndez, Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary General on the Prevention of Genocide and himself a victim of torture, provides a foreword.

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Yes, you can access The Phenomenon of Torture by William F. Schulz in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Politics & International Relations & Civil Rights in Politics. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. Foreword by Juan E. Méndez
  6. Introduction
  7. Chapter I. Torture in Western History
  8. Chapter II. Being Tortured
  9. Chapter III. Who are the Torturers?
  10. Chapter IV. The Dynamics of Torture
  11. Chapter V. The Social Context of Torture
  12. Chapter VI. The Ethics of Torture
  13. Chapter VII. Healing the Victims, Stopping the Torture
  14. Appendix: Excerpts from Documents
  15. How to Get Involved
  16. Notes
  17. Bibliography
  18. Acknowledgments
  19. Credits and Permissions