Anti-violence training and the communicative construction of violence-related knowledge

This chapter explores the communicative construction of violence-related knowledge in the context of anti-violence training. It argues that traditional understandings of violence, which often emphasize physical aggression, are inadequate and call for a more comprehensive approach that includes psychological, emotional, and structural dimensions. Drawing on ethnographic material, interview data, and various documents, this chapter shows how participants performatively categorize different scenarios of violence. The study shows how violence is constructed through communicative actions and bodily experiences by analyzing the interactions between trainers and participants. The findings highlight the importance of communicative negotiations in shaping perceptions of violence and suggest that a reflexive approach to violence education can lead to a deeper understanding of its complexity.