Being a highly ambivalent phenomenon, violence makes for an especially interesting case to scrutinize transformations of the popular. Despite the widespread normative condemnation of violence in both non-academic and academic discourses, we will approach violence as a phenomenon that can be also fascinating, thrilling, and purposively sought out, not least in various forms of the popular. We will discuss popularizations of violence considering the phenomenon’s ambiguity. Putting aside normative conceptualizations of violence as a generally undesireable phenomenon, we ask how popularizations of violence are intertwined with negotiations of its legitimacy.

The interdisciplinary workshop will feature presentations by three guest speakers: Shane Denson (Stanford), Heike Becker (Cape Town), and Reinhard Kopanski (Siegen) as well as contributions from six CRC sub-projects (A01, A03, A04, B04, B05, C05). The presentations will deal with most different empirical material, such as computer games, student protest, criminalized music or fantasy literature. During collective discussion, we will locate the popularization and (un-)popularity of violence between the poles of the playfulness of artistic production and the “serious game of politics.”