Johan Galtung

Johan Galtung is a Norwegian sociologist and the founder of the academic field of peace and conflict studies. He is widely regarded for developing concepts such as structural violence and positive vs. negative peace. Galtung's work emphasizes the idea that violence goes beyond physical harm, encompassing systems of inequality and oppression that diminish human potential without direct, personal harm.

Kitselman's Terms

Johan Galtung >

Key Figure

A. L. Kitselman, Abraham Maslow, Albert Hofmann, Aldous Huxley, Humphry Osmond, Johan Galtung

Notes

In his seminal 1969 paper,, Galtung introduced several key concepts related to violence and peace:

Personal (Direct) Violence: This refers to physical violence between individuals or groups, such as war, assault, or murder. It involves visible, immediate harm inflicted on a person or community.

Structural (Indirect) Violence: Galtung highlighted that violence isn’t only about physical harm. Structural violence occurs when social, economic, and political systems prevent individuals from achieving their full potential. This includes inequality, poverty, and oppression. Though this violence may not involve physical harm, it systematically diminishes people’s lives and opportunities.

Negative Violence: Negative violence refers to forms of direct harm, such as physical assault, emotional abuse, or war. It is typically overt and involves intentional infliction of pain, suffering, or harm on individuals or groups.

Positive Violence: Positive violence, as framed by Galtung, refers to more subtle forms of control, often through incentives or rewards that manipulate people’s behavior. This can include societal structures that condition people into conforming through reward-based systems, encouraging behaviors that ultimately restrict freedom and potential.

Peace Types:

Negative Peace: The absence of direct violence, such as the end of a war or cessation of immediate physical harm. It does not address underlying issues like inequality or injustice.

Positive Peace: A state where structural violence is eliminated, and conditions of social justice, equality, and collective well-being are established. Positive peace promotes the development of a fair and just society, ensuring that all individuals can reach their full potential.

Consequences of Violence: Galtung’s theory broadens the definition of violence to include direct physical harm as well as the indirect, systemic harm caused by structures of power, inequality, and exploitation. These forms of violence contribute to:

Diminishment of potential: People in structurally violent systems are often unable to meet their essential needs, leading to a reduction in their ability to thrive.

Disconnection and social inequality: Structural violence fosters environments of division, where large sections of the population are marginalized and disconnected from social, political, and economic power.

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