Introduction

This introduction lays out the main debates to which the volume will contribute, and explains how contributors push forward scholarly understanding of civilians and war. The chapter explores the complexity of the term “civilian” as an analytical concept, and outlines how contemporary legal scholarship, which highlights the consequences of the lack of clarity over how civilians are to be defined, can benefit from greater understanding of the historical processes that underpin the construction of civilian identity. It examines the debate over barbarity towards civilians as a marker of “new” warfare in the post-Cold War era, and argues that, far from being an outgrowth of modern technologies and strategies, civilian suffering has been a constant of human warfare. The chapter examines some of the main types of violence against civilians, including aerial bombardment, sexual violence and massacre, and explores some of the historical and political arguments about why this type of violence occurs. It suggests that attention to the blurred line between civilians and combatants can help shed new light on military violence against civilians, highlighting civilian agency and resistance as a key factor in military strategic decision-making. The Introduction also provides an overview of the themes and arguments presented in each individual chapter, explaining the multiple ways in which the contributions intersect and engage one another.