Approaches to Understanding Atrocity
Led by Dr Kieran Mitton – author of Rebels in a Rotten State – and Professor Mats Berdal, this Conflict, Security and Development Research Group (CSDRG) project (under development) entails a comprehensive examination of the various forms, uses, and shaping dynamics of extreme violence in armed conflicts. It identifies and responds to a number of issues concerning the study of conflict, including:
- The need to study violence in its own right, as distinct (though not necessarily separate) from the study of the causes of conflict.
- The need for greater interdisciplinary collaboration and exchange in the study of violence in war.
- The need for further research into the causes and shaping dynamics of violence characterised as ‘gratuitous’, ‘atrocious’, ‘irrational’ and cruel.
The project brings together leading experts in the study of violence – drawn from various academic disciplines – to conduct and publish original research on the problem of war-time atrocity. The principal outputs will be the publication of a collected volume of these studies, co-edited by Professor Mats Berdal and Dr Kieran Mitton, and a CSDRG-hosted conference to discuss findings, implications and areas for further research.
Approaches to Understanding Violence
CSDRG Seminar Series
In parallel with the research and publications of the project, Dr Mitton chairs a series of talks featuring guest speakers. Experts and thinkers from a range of fields offer their unique perspectives on conflict violence.
The below is a list of past talks and audio recordings where available.
All talks were chaired by Dr Kieran Mitton unless stated otherwise.
31 May 2017
Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany
Speaker: Norman Ohler, author of ‘Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany.’
4 May 2017
Screening: Chocolate of Peace (Cacao Defying Violence)
Speaker: Gwen Burnyeat, Producer and Co-Director of ‘Chocolate of Peace’ – www.chocolateofpeace.com
20 April 2017
The Marxist Paradox
Speaker: Stathis N. Kalyvas, Arnold Wolfers Professor of Political Science, Yale University, and Director of the Program on Order, Conflict, and Violence.
10 April 2017
Violence and Intervention in the Central African Republic
Speaker: Louisa Lombard, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Yale.
13 February 2017
Where Do Violent Norms Come From?
Speaker: Dr Zoe Marks, Chancellor’s Fellow (Lecturer), Centre of African Studies and Co-Director, Global Development Academy, University of Edinburgh.
2 November 2016
Sexual Abuse and UK Peacekeeping Operations: Reflections from the Field
Speaker: Nicola Dahrendorf, Director/Senior Adviser on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) & Chief of the MINUSCA Conduct and Discipline Team, Central African Republic.
25 October 2016
The Origins and Dynamics of Genocide: Poltiical Violence in Guatemala
Speaker: Professor Roddy Brett, Professor of International Relations, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia.
29 September 2016
What Works in Reducing Community Violence: An Evidence-Informed Approach
Speaker: Thomas Abt, Senior Research Fellow & Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard University & Instituto Igarape
Thomas Abt’s full report can be downloaded here: www.usaid.gov/sites/default/file…e-Final-Report.pdf
8 June 2016
Of Ruptures and Continuities. Theory and Methodology in Research on Sexual Violence Against Women in War and Peace
Speaker: Dr Jelke Boesten, Reader in Gender and Development, Department for International Development, King’s College London.
Discussant: Dr Marsha Henry, Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the LSE Centre for Women, Peace and Security, LSE.
19 May 2016
Rape as a Practice of War: Towards a Typology of Political Violence
Speaker: Professor Elisabeth Jean Wood, Professor of Political Science, International and Area Studies, Yale University.
Discussant: Dr Kieran Mitton, War Studies, King’s College London.
Chair: Dr. des. Livia I. Schubiger, Assistant Professor in Comparative Politics, LSE Department of Government.
Co-hosted by the Conflict, Security & Development Research Group (CSDRG) Dept. of War Studies, King’s College London, with the Conflict Research Group (Dept. of Government, LSE) and the Centre for Women, Peace & Security (LSE).
19 May 2016
How Has Violent Political Conflict Changed Over the Last Two Centuries?
Speaker: Stathis N. Kalyvas, Arnold Wolfers Professor of Political Science & Director of the Program on Order, Conflict, and Violence, Yale University.
Co-hosted by the Conflict, Security & Development Research Group (CSDRG) Dept. of War Studies, King’s College London, and the Conflict Research Group (Dept. of Government, LSE).
13 May 2016
Covenants Without the Sword? Comparing Prison Self-Governance Globally
Speaker: Dr David Skarbek, Lecturer in Political Economy, King’s College London.
5 May 2016
State Violence and Wartime Civilian Agency: Evidence from Peru
Speaker: Dr. des. Livia I. Schubiger, Assistant Professor in Comparative Politics, LSE Department of Government.
18 April 2016
How Should We Write About Violence?
Speaker: Roger Mac Ginty, Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Manchester.
Kieran Mitton 