Norbert Elias Flashcards
What are the 4 enablers Elias talked about?
State formation, manners, money, and divison of labour.
How did state formation cause people to begin becoming more civilized?
As nation states got bigger, new innovative strategies (other than just blindly killing each other) were required to conquer the competition. Thus, armies were created, and knights became redundant-led to pacification of the warrior class, as smarter and more ambitious territorial lords got new jobs as strategists.
What were the two main threats to monarchical rule of the nation state?
Internal-attack from within society (revolt, treason, assasination
External-attacks from other nation states (war).
How did threats to monarchical rule result in pacification of violence?
Monarchs laid claim to what they called ‘legitimate force’ (Police violence, marital law, capital punishment, warfare)-all other forms of violence was casually outlawed. State monopoly on violence led to state-sanctioned forms of violence and illegal forms of violence. States threat of violence discouraged illegitimate violence.
How did advanced manners end up spreading?
Through the french! When the french do it, other countries follow.
What are imitators?
Passing manners onto your children through censure, compliance is the only relief from censure. Children internalize these rules, infractions generated feelings of disgust and embarrasment.
How do social classes fit with manners?
Working class followed norms from the middle class to move up on the social ladder.
What is the purpose of civilizing institutions?
To force people to conform with norms (schools, police departments).
How did the middle class change manners?
Had to earn their way to the top, proving themselves to be worthy of the upper class using their smarts. Eventually, power chances increased as the middle class was more intelligent and more cunning, they eventually took over-continued with aristocratic manners but toned them down a bit.
Is religion a civilizing process?
No, but it is affected by it.
What is the Quest for Excitement?
Proposed by Eric Dunning (student of Elias)-as Western societies became increasingly pacified, life became boring. Things like sports, drugs, alcohol, knitting all cause thrills for people.
Why are war and capital punishment deemed “necessary violence?”
War-Necessary for self preservation/expansion
Capital Punishment-Necessary to maintain elites place at the top (protect from internal threats).
How has capital punishment changed over the years?
It has become more and more distanced (more humane). Less touching, seeing, or hearing the criminal, went from brutal tortrue to lethal injection
What were the top 3 techniques to kill in the 40s?
Gassing., shooting, and starvation,
How did money cause us to become more pacified?
A more pacified population makes business easier, money makes it easier to specialize, people who specialized could make better product
