Over the course of Hilary Term (January to March) and Trinity Term 2017 (April to June), the Department of Politics and International Relations is convening a new seminar series on Ideas and Political Violence.
This series has been recorded and is now available in its entirety, along with an introduction from convenors Elizabeth Frazer and Jonathan Leader Maynard, explaining why they chose this topic, which parts of the series they found particularly interesting, and where they hope it will go in future.
The relationship between ideas and political violence is a key interdisciplinary interest of modern academia, and this seminar series seeks to capitalise on the expanding wave of new scholarship, bringing this into the DPIR’s research community and adding momentum to it by providing a forum for discussion between academic staff, graduate students, and visiting speakers on cutting-edge research work.
As part of the new Ideas and Political Violence seminar series, the Department of Politics and International Relations' Andrea Ruggeri discusses the role of negative emotions and radical ideology in the process of armed mobilization.
Using empirical evidence from the Italian civil war of 1943-45, Ruggeri looks at the important functions of non-material factors in driving individuals to mobilize politically. The emotional state of indignation is identified as a factor pushing individuals to take up arms against the political incumbent. Meanwhile, ideology serves as a pull factor that structures individuals' sense of identity and relationship to the incumbent. These and others are the microfoundations that Ruggeri argues propel individuals to participate in armed collective action under costly circumstances.
The Ideas and Political Violence seminar series is convened by Elizabeth Frazer and Jonathan Leader Maynard and takes place each Thursday at 4pm in Lecture Room 6 at New College.