Table of Contents

Translator's Note Acknowledgments Introduction 1 - Etymologies: "Terror"; or, On Surviving 2 - Etymologies: "Horror"; or On Dismembering 3 - On War 4 - The Howl of Medusa 5 - The Vulnerability of the Helpless 6 - The Crime of Medea 7 - Horrorism; or, On Violence Against the Helpless 8 - Those Who Have Seen the Gorgon 9 - Auschwitz; or, On Extreme Horror 10 - Erotic Carnages 11 - So Mutilated that It Might Be the Body of the Pig 12 - The Warrior's Pleasure 13 - Worldwide Aggressiveness 14 - For a History of Terror 15 - Suicidal Horrorism 16 - When the Bomb is a Woman's Body 17 - Female Torturers Grinning at the Camera Appendix: The Horror! The Horror! Rereading Conrad Notes Bibliography

Promotional Information

In this brilliant book, one of the world's most provocative feminist theorists and political philosophers introduces a new word--horrorism--to capture the experience of violence. Unlike terror, horrorism is a form of violation grounded in the offense of disfiguration and massacre. Numerous outbursts of violence fall within Adriana Cavarero's category of horrorism, especially when the phenomenology of violence is considered from the perspective of the victim rather than that of the warrior. Through her searing analysis, Cavarero proves that violence against the helpless claims a specific vocabulary, one that has been known for millennia, and not just to the Western tradition.

About the Author

Adriana Cavarero is professor of political philosophy at the University of Verona. Her books in English include In Spite of Plato: A Feminist Rewriting of Ancient Philosophy; Stately Bodies: Literature, Philosophy, and the Question of Gender; Relating Narratives: Storytelling and Selfhood; and For More Than One Voice: Toward a Philosophy of Vocal Expression.

Reviews

Essential. Choice Her book is indispensable for anyone keen to understand violence in our society today. -- Joanna Bourke Environment and Planning D