Considerations on violence by Johan Galtung perspective: some aspects of terrorism and the advent of intolerance

Abstract

Based on the understanding of the Norwegian sociologist Johan Galtung about social conflicts, this article intends to address the concepts of structural, direct and, especially cultural violence, relating them with Michael Walzer’s reflection on the limits of military action, putting on the agenda the issue of disproportionality between enemies, especially putting terrorism in debate as a form of actions in combat in contemporary conflicts. The provision reasoning indicates that measures of extreme directs violence by the weak political communities (as practiced by terrorism, for example) would be a reflection of its lack of resources compared to traditional military powers. The consequences of these practices of extreme direct violence is the dissemination of an intolerant feeling by civil society ( for fear, incomprehension), that built intolerant speeches, it is evident, therefore, the existence of cultural violence.