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Phenomenology of Violence describes violence as it manifests in public life. There is very little written on violence that disturbs peace. Violence, per se, is more than physical abuse and it spreads across different realms. Aggression, casteism, child exploitation, coercion, drug abuse, ethnic and religious violence, gender discrimination, naxalism, sexual abuse, suicide, and terrorism are some of the manifestations of violence. Violence occurs in all the three spheres of human functioning - thought, action and passion.

Violence is a part of man’s nature and is grounded in his animal origins. Going by Mahatma Gandhi, man is a composite of brute and human elements. Violence is not merely person-based. In addition, we have group violence, identity conflicts, and excesses against nature as well. Violence is involved in all acts of hate and selfishness, whereas nonviolence is grounded in love and altruism.

This volume addresses varied aspects of violence: its causes, nature, and solutions. Luminaries such as Albert Schweitzer, Bertrand Russell, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, and Nelson Mandela were some of the prominent protagonists of peace, who denounced aggression, discrimination, violence and war.

At a time of religio-political violence across the globe along with other forms of violence, this volume gives out the message that until we bring about peace in our life, both internal and external, we cannot overcome violence and that the ultimate recourse to peace is nonviolence.

Contents: Foreword/K. Ramakrishna Rao. Introduction/B. Sambasiva Prasad. Volume I: 1. Identity-violence : Gandhi’s approach/K. Ramakrishna Rao. 2. Jaina approach to (A)himsa/Saroj Kanta Kar. 3. (A)himsa in Buddhism/Saroj Kanta Kar. 4. (A)himsa : classical Indian perspective/Saroj Kanta Kar. 5. Islam and violence/Anwar Alam. 6. Law and violence/Y. Satyanarayana. 7. Perspectives on aggression/B. Nalini. 8. Telangana and Andhra agitations vis-à-vis their areas of conflict/R. Venkat Reddy. 9. Narratives of coercion : law as a social determinant of clinical interactions in mental hospitals/V. Bhargavi Davar. 10. Gandhian perspective of violence and alternatives to violence/B. Nalini. 11. Peace psychology : social psychological perspectives on peace and conflict management/Girishwar Misra. Volume II: 12. Perpetual peace: a philosopher’s pipe dream/K. Ramakrishna Rao. 13. Suicide as a form of violence: an interdisciplinary review/B. Nalini. 14. Biological basis of violence/Deepa Mohan. 15. Child abuse/Sanjana Bhatia Seth. 16. Anatomy of youth violence in India/M. Malakondaiah.17. Gender violence in India/K. Radhakrishna Murty. 18. Sexual violence in India against women/Shazneen Limjerwala. 19. Caste as a structural violence : ambedkar’s perspective/B. Sambasiva Prasad. 20. Youth violence : perspectives from Kashmir/Shobna Sonpar. 21. Negotiating peace in ethnic conflicts : The North-East India experience/Archana Upadhyay. 22. Negotiating with Maoists/P.V. Ramana. 23. Containing ethnic violence in India/V. Sreemannarayana Murthy. 24. Women in conflict resolution/B. Nalini. 25. Containing violence: measures of resolution/K. Aravinda Rao. Afterword/K. Ramakrishna Rao. Index.