The Geometry of Violence

Book excerpt: ?[Praeg] applies the notion of ?sacrificial violence?, as developed by Girard, to the genocide in Rwanda, necklace burnings in South Africa, and the phenomenon of family murders. He shows how there is an underlying logic tying these together, while at the same time resisting a unifying (modernist) discourse which attempts to eradicate the differences. This is an extremely interesting, at times fascinating, text. It is very well written and ... [the] insights gained leave no option but to rethink the manifestation of violence fundamentally.? ? Paul Cilliers Department of Philosophy, Stellenbosch University