Uploaded May 2018 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Structural violence is a term commonly ascribed to Johan Galtung, which he introduced in the article ''Violence, Peace, and Peace Research'' (1969). It refers to a form of violence wherein some social structure or social institution may harm people by preventing them from meeting their basic needs. Institutionalized adultism, ageism, classism, elitism, ethnocentrism, nationalism, speciesism, racism, and sexism are some examples of structural violence as proposed by Galtung. According to Galtung, rather than conveying a physical image, structural violence is an ''avoidable impairment of fundamental human needs''.
As it is avoidable, structural violence is a high cause of premature death and unnecessary disability. Because structural violence affects people differently in various social structures, it is very closely linked to social injustice. Structural violence and direct violence are said to be highly interdependent, including family violence, gender violence, hate crimes, racial violence, police violence, state violence, terrorism, and war.
Bandy X Lee wrote in her article Causes and cures VII: Structural violence, ''It refers to the avoidable limitations society places on groups of people that constrain them from achieving the quality of life that would have otherwise been possible. These limitations could be political, economic, religious, cultural, or legal in nature and usually originate in institutions that have authority over particular subjects.'' She goes on to say that it ''directly illustrates a power system wherein social structures or institutions cause harm to people in a way that results in maldevelopment or deprivation''. Rather than the term being called social injustice or oppression, there is an advocacy for it to be called violence because this phenomena comes from, and can be corrected by human decisions, rather than just natural causes.
In The Sources of Social Power, Michael Mann makes the argument that within state formation, ''increased organizational power is a trade-off, whereby the individual obtains more security and food in exchange for his or her freedom.'' Siniša Malešević elaborates on Mann's argument by saying, ''Mann's point needs extending to cover all social organizations, not just the state. The early chiefdoms were not states, obviously; still, they were established on a similar basis—an inversely proportional relationship between security and resources, on the one hand, and liberty, on the other.'' This means that although those who live in organized, centralized social systems are not likely subject to hunger or to die in an animal attack, they are likely to engage in organized violence, which could include war.
These structures make for opportunities and advances that humans could not create for themselves, including the development of agriculture, technology, philosophy, science, and art; however, these structures take tolls elsewhere, meaning that these structures are both productive and detrimental. In our early history, hunter-gather groups used organizational power to acquire more resources and produce more food, but at the same time, this power was also used to dominate, kill, and enslave other groups in order to expand territory and supplies.
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Two shows were made for Structural Violence.
A full length show 6m15s. And a 1m30s shorter version.
This show is edited from the original show. Video edited, audio trimmed.
The original show is on
The Audiopedia - YouTube website
youtube.com/channel/UC6ZQ-SuhvQAeQIR5tHJGGmQ
Show Title & Link
Title - What is STRUCTURAL VIOLENCE? What does STRUCTURAL VIOLENCE mean? STRUCTURAL VIOLENCE meaning
youtu.be/D6alqkFII2E
Wikipedia Text
Structural Violence
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_violence
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Tags: Structural Violence,
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Published: May 30, 2018, ID: FJva145 PSA 093
Category: Education, Duration 06:15
License: Creative Commons - By 4.0
--
View On YouTube
Full Show - 6m15s
youtu.be/dLhoNg9BdM4
Shorter Show - 1m30s
youtu.be/8oy89JHMQdc
--
These episodes are on PEGMedia - for public access TV stations
- in ready for TV broadcast formats - both HD and SD
Full Show - 6m15s
pegmedia.org/index.php?q=msvr/ep/31841/detail
Shorter Show - 1m30s
pegmedia.org/index.php?q=msvr/ep/31855/detail
--
More PEGMedia Films From - Film For Justice - For Public Access TV Stations
pegmedia.org/index.php?q=msvr/showall/724/detail
--
More from - Films For Justice - on YouTube
youtube.com/FilmForJustice
--
Structural violence is a term commonly ascribed to Johan Galtung, which he introduced in the article ''Violence, Peace, and Peace Research'' (1969). It refers to a form of violence wherein some social structure or social institution may harm people by preventing them from meeting their basic needs. Institutionalized adultism, ageism, classism, elitism, ethnocentrism, nationalism, speciesism, racism, and sexism are some examples of structural violence as proposed by Galtung. According to Galtung, rather than conveying a physical image, structural violence is an ''avoidable impairment of fundamental human needs''.
As it is avoidable, structural violence is a high cause of premature death and unnecessary disability. Because structural violence affects people differently in various social structures, it is very closely linked to social injustice. Structural violence and direct violence are said to be highly interdependent, including family violence, gender violence, hate crimes, racial violence, police violence, state violence, terrorism, and war.
Bandy X Lee wrote in her article Causes and cures VII: Structural violence, ''It refers to the avoidable limitations society places on groups of people that constrain them from achieving the quality of life that would have otherwise been possible. These limitations could be political, economic, religious, cultural, or legal in nature and usually originate in institutions that have authority over particular subjects.'' She goes on to say that it ''directly illustrates a power system wherein social structures or institutions cause harm to people in a way that results in maldevelopment or deprivation''. Rather than the term being called social injustice or oppression, there is an advocacy for it to be called violence because this phenomena comes from, and can be corrected by human decisions, rather than just natural causes.
In The Sources of Social Power, Michael Mann makes the argument that within state formation, ''increased organizational power is a trade-off, whereby the individual obtains more security and food in exchange for his or her freedom.'' Siniša Malešević elaborates on Mann's argument by saying, ''Mann's point needs extending to cover all social organizations, not just the state. The early chiefdoms were not states, obviously; still, they were established on a similar basis—an inversely proportional relationship between security and resources, on the one hand, and liberty, on the other.'' This means that although those who live in organized, centralized social systems are not likely subject to hunger or to die in an animal attack, they are likely to engage in organized violence, which could include war.
These structures make for opportunities and advances that humans could not create for themselves, including the development of agriculture, technology, philosophy, science, and art; however, these structures take tolls elsewhere, meaning that these structures are both productive and detrimental. In our early history, hunter-gather groups used organizational power to acquire more resources and produce more food, but at the same time, this power was also used to dominate, kill, and enslave other groups in order to expand territory and supplies.
--
Two shows were made for Structural Violence.
A full length show 6m15s. And a 1m30s shorter version.
This show is edited from the original show. Video edited, audio trimmed.
The original show is on
The Audiopedia - YouTube website
youtube.com/channel/UC6ZQ-SuhvQAeQIR5tHJGGmQ
Show Title & Link
Title - What is STRUCTURAL VIOLENCE? What does STRUCTURAL VIOLENCE mean? STRUCTURAL VIOLENCE meaning
youtu.be/D6alqkFII2E
Wikipedia Text
Structural Violence
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_violence
--
Tags: Structural Violence,
--
Published: May 30, 2018, ID: FJva145 PSA 093
Category: Education, Duration 06:15
License: Creative Commons - By 4.0
--
View On YouTube
Full Show - 6m15s
youtu.be/dLhoNg9BdM4
Shorter Show - 1m30s
youtu.be/8oy89JHMQdc
--
These episodes are on PEGMedia - for public access TV stations
- in ready for TV broadcast formats - both HD and SD
Full Show - 6m15s
pegmedia.org/index.php?q=msvr/ep/31841/detail
Shorter Show - 1m30s
pegmedia.org/index.php?q=msvr/ep/31855/detail
--
More PEGMedia Films From - Film For Justice - For Public Access TV Stations
pegmedia.org/index.php?q=msvr/showall/724/detail
--
More from - Films For Justice - on YouTube
youtube.com/FilmForJustice
--
