Abstract
In The Causes and Consequences of Group Violence: From Bullies to Terrorists, James Hawdon, John Ryan, and Marc Lucht compile the product of an interdisciplinary and international collaboration brought together by the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention at Virginia Tech. The goal of this collaboration was to create a collective review of, and extension of, the group violence literature.
In this pursuit, each section focuses on a unique aspect of group violence, and each chapter offers a unique contribution. Section I focuses on the perpetrators of group violence. In Chapter One, Hawdon sets the framework for the book by defining group violence and categorizing its various types. Subsequent chapters build from Hawdon’s typology of group violence by directly addressing various topics, including offline and online hate groups (Chapter 2), urban gang violence (Chapter 3), genocide (Chapter 4), violence against the state (Chapter 5), civil resistance (Chapter 6), and terrorism (Chapter 7). Section II shifts the emphasis to victims of group violence. Specifically, these chapters explore the interactive nature of gender and weight on the likelihood of bullying victimization (Chapter 8), the amount and effects of youth exposure to online hate speech (Chapter 9), and the processes through which violent groups select their targets (Chapter 10). Section III then examines wider consequences of group violence, including its effects on social and political contexts (Chapter 11), gendered biases in research (Chapter 12), and communities after “rampage violence” (Chapter 13). Section IV concludes the book with reflections on the common themes throughout group violence (Chapter 14) and the importance of taking a humanistic perspective on the topic (Chapter 15).
This compilation of chapters utilizes a range of theoretical foundations and methodological strategies to extend the literature. Authors draw from social psychological theories and victimization theories to offer both quantitative and qualitative analyses of group violence. Moreover, the authors detail fruitful data for continued research, like YouTube network data and interviews with Darfur refugees.
To summarize, this book serves as a useful tool for anyone aiming to understand the complexities of group violence. It functions as an accessible read for upper-level students, a condensed update for area specialists, and a guide to future avenues of research for beginning scholars. Implications will be valued across many disciplines including criminology, sociology, and political science.