The Phenomenon of Torture: Readings and Commentary (Pennsylvania Studies in Human Rights) [Paperback]

William F. Schulz (Editor), Juan E. Mendez (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0812219821 | ISBN-13: 978-0812219821 | Publication Date: May 15, 2007 | Edition: annotated edition

Torture is the most widespread human rights crime in the modern world, practiced in more than one hundred countries, including the United States. How could something so brutal, almost unthinkable, be so prevalent? The Phenomenon of Torture: Readings and Commentary is designed to answer that question and many others. Beginning with a sweeping view of torture in Western history, the book examines questions such as these: Can anyone be turned into a torturer? What exactly is the psychological relationship between a torturer and his victim? Are certain societies more prone to use torture? Are there any circumstances under which torture is justified—to procure critical information in order to save innocent lives, for example? How can torture be stopped or at least its incidence be reduced?

Edited and with an introduction by the former Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, The Phenomenon of Torture draws on the writings of torture victims themselves, such as the Argentinian journalist Jacobo Timerman, as well as leading scholars like Elaine Scarry, author of The Body in Pain. It includes classical works by Voltaire, Jeremy Bentham, Hannah Arendt, and Stanley Milgram, as well as recent works by historian Adam Hochschild and psychotherapist Joan Golston. And it addresses new developments in efforts to combat torture, such as the designation of rape as a war crime and the use of the doctrine of universal jurisdiction to prosecute perpetrators. Designed for the student and scholar alike, it is, in sum, an anthology of the best and most insightful writing about this most curious and common form of abuse. Juan E. Méndez, Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary General on the Prevention of Genocide and himself a victim of torture, provides a foreword.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"No one is better qualified than Bill Schulz to describe and denounce the vicious but all-too-common practice of torture in today's world. Hopefully, Schulz's outstanding book will launch a new effort to ban torture in all its ugly forms from the face of the earth."—Senator Edward Kennedy

"A sober, astutely assembled compilation and a much-needed contribution to modern-day discussions of government policy."—Midwest Book Review

"A uniquely thoughtful and comprehensive exploration of the topic."—Choice

About the Author

William F. Schulz served as Executive Director of Amnesty International USA from 1994 to 2006. He is currently Senior Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, and Adjunct Professor at the New School in New York City. Schulz is the author of two books on human rights, In Our Own Best Interest: How Defending Human Rights Benefits Us All and Tainted Legacy: 9/11 and the Ruin of Human Rights.

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press; annotated edition edition (May 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812219821
• ISBN-13: 978-0812219821
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #989,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "We do not torture...", June 8, 2007

By 

Kerry Walters (Lewisburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Phenomenon of Torture: Readings and Commentary (Pennsylvania Studies in Human Rights) (Paperback)

So says the current administration, and so say most Americans--which is precisely why William Schulz's collection is so timely and important. Surely one of the explanations for why so many people deny that waterboarding or sensory deprivation is torture is lack of clarity on what the phenomenon of torture actually is. The essays in this anthology go a long way to clear up the confusion.

Probably the single most important section of the book is Chapter IV, "The Dynamics of Torture." It's there that the phenomenon of torture is explored. Torture isn't merely a set of physical techniques for inflicting pain. More fundamentally, it's an intentional set of actions, as this section's authors point out, that destroy the self, the very identity, of the torture victim and intimidate the rest of society. Moreover, as the essays in Chapter III, "Who Are the Torturers?" make pretty clear, torture also morally and spiritually destroys the torturer's identity as well as the identity of the society that condones torture. Given this understanding of torture, debates about whether it's ever morally justifiable take on much greater weight than they typically have in the last five years or so.

Absolutely essential reading. Recommended without reservation.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sober, astutely assembled compilation and a much-needed contribution to modern-day discussions of government policy., November 3, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Phenomenon of Torture: Readings and Commentary (Pennsylvania Studies in Human Rights) (Paperback)

The Phenomenon of Torture: Readings and Commentary is an anthology of essays by learned authors discussing the widespread human rights crime that is torture, practiced in more than one hundred countries - now including the United States. Why is something so cruel and brutal so entrenched? Can anyone become a torturer? Are certain societies more prone to use torture? Are there any circumstances under which torture is justified? How can torture be stopped, or at least reduced? The readings seek to better understand this hot-button issue, and cover the history, experience, and dynamics of torture, who the torturers are, and what experience has shown ultimately can bring an end to torture and healing to victims. A sober, astutely assembled compilation and a much-needed contribution to modern-day discussions of government policy.