Enemies of All Humankind
Fictions of Legitimate Violence
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Author(s)
Schillings, Sonja
Collection
Knowledge Unlatched (KU)Language
EnglishAbstract
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 this legal fiction does more than characterize certain persons as inherently hostile: it provides a narrative basis for legitimating violence in the name of the state. The work draws attention to a century-old narrative pattern that not only underlies the legal category of enemies of the state, but more generally informs interpretations of imperial expansion, protest against government-sponsored oppression, and the transformation of institutions as “legitimate” interventions on behalf of civilized society.
Keywords
Literature; Civilization; Essentialism; Hostis humani generis; Piracy; State of nature; Totalitarianism; United StatesISBN
9781512600759Publisher
Dartmouth College PressPublication date and place
Hanover, NH, USA, 2016Grantor
Series
Re-Mapping the Transnational: A Dartmouth Series in American Studies,Classification
Literature & literary studies