The Epistemology of Violence : Understanding the Root Causes of Violence in Schooling Paperback / softback

This book provides an in-depth, multidisciplinary framework and case-study analysis for understanding the root causes of violence in schooling.

Drawing on critical theory, psychology, neuroscience and learning theory, the author provides a holistic analysis of how ‘violent epistemology’ and the ‘non-conducive circumstances’ that it produces can be seen to be at the roots of violence in societies and social institutions such as schools.

Chapter 1 outlines how current and historical theories of violence, and interventions based on them, have failed due to their inability to properly conceptualise the root causes of violence.

Chapters 2 addresses this by providing a new epistemic and methodological framework for studying violence.

Chapters 3 and 4 then demonstrate how violence can be best conceptualised as a problem of specifically ‘violent’ epistemology and the ‘non-conducive social circumstances’ that it fosters.

Chapters 5-7 demonstrate in practice how violent epistemology results in multiple manifestations of violence at the global, national, local, and ultimately classroom level.

Chapter 8 concludes the book by presenting an early conceptualisation of ‘non-violent’ epistemology, and what fostering this might look like in practice.