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Enemies of All Humankind
Sonja Schillings
其他書名
Fictions of Legitimate Violence
出版
Dartmouth College Press
, 2016-12-06
主題
Literary Criticism / American / General
Literary Criticism / Subjects & Themes / Historical Events
Philosophy / Political
ISBN
1512600172
9781512600179
URL
http://books.google.com.hk/books?id=aZljDQAAQBAJ&hl=&source=gbs_api
EBook
SAMPLE
註釋
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 the legal fiction designating certain persons or classes of persons as enemies of all humankind does more than characterize them as inherently hostile: it supplies a narrative basis for legitimating violence in the name of the state. The book draws attention to a century-old narrative pattern that not only underlies the legal category of enemies of the people, but more generally informs interpretations of imperial expansion, protest against structural oppression, and the transformation of institutions as "legitimate" interventions on behalf of civilized society. Schillings traces the Anglo-American interpretive history of the concept, which she sees as crucial to understanding US history, in particular with regard to the frontier, race relations, and the war on terror.