Political Violence:

A Psychoanalytical (Ethical) Perspective

Abstract

This paper explores the notion of political violence from a psychoanalytic-phenomenological perspective, arguing that political violence is fundamentally unethical, though, at times, it is an understandable means of seeking justice or emancipation. To make this case, the first step is to explicate what is meant by the notion “political,” which sets the framework for depicting the developmental origins and attributes of political selves/agencies. From here, I discuss political violence—its functions and aims—and identify its consequences vis-à-vis political psyches. In this discussion, it will become clear that political violence, at its core, entails a contradiction in that it denies political agency and political belonging to those who are the objects of violence. While the ends of political violence may be, at times, desirable, it is fundamentally unethical precisely because it does not establish and maintain the space of speaking and acting together with those who are the objects of violence.