Overview

Violence and Lies examines the relationship between violence and deception, from the Conquest of the Americas to the ongoing climate crisis. It revisits major historical turning points – including European colonialism in Africa, the Holocaust, 9/11 and the War on Terror, and the Rape of Nanjing – through the lens of lies and deception. The book not only challenges traditional interpretations by offering fresh insights and categorising various forms of deception but also advances a theory of power. Existing theories have often overlooked or downplayed the role of lies and deception, placing disproportionate emphasis on violence, ideology, and other non-violent means. Deception has frequently been treated as secondary – an anecdotal companion to violence rather than a force in its own right. Posocco argues that lies and deception are as significant as violence, and that they remain insufficiently theorised and categorised. By illuminating overlooked aspects of historical and modern power struggles, this book invites readers to critically reassess conventional narratives about domination. A valuable resource for students and scholars of political science, sociology, global history, and the history of power, Violence and Lies also appeals more broadly to readers interested in contemporary global issues.

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9781032655918

Table of Contents

Reviews

“Deeply embedded in historical sociology and political history, Lorenzo Posocco’s Violence and Lies reads among the most compelling and transformative books I have read over the last 20 years. Its argument is straightforward, clear and documented with historical detail: most mass crimes throughout modern history have been carried out with the use of lies, deception, denial, disinformation, fake news, as well as violence. In a world where violence and disinformation seem to be constantly on the rise, I highly recommend this book to anyone concerned about the impact of violence and disinformation on our lives and our future.” Daniele Conversi, Ikerbasque Foundation for Science and the University of the Basque Country ""This is one of the most striking books ever to come my way: if offers an innovative and convincing theory of the role of lies within violence, and illustrates it with marvellously drawn examples—from the Conquest of the Americas to the Holocaust, and from the War on Terror to the Rape of Nanjing."" John A. Hall, McGill University

“Deeply embedded in historical sociology and political history, Lorenzo Posocco’s Violence and Lies reads among the most compelling and transformative books I have read over the last 20 years. Its argument is straightforward, clear and documented with historical detail: most mass crimes throughout modern history have been carried out with the use of lies, deception, denial, disinformation, fake news, as well as violence. In a world where violence and disinformation seem to be constantly on the rise, I highly recommend this book to anyone concerned about the impact of violence and disinformation on our lives and our future.” Daniele Conversi, Ikerbasque Foundation for Science and the University of the Basque Country ""This is one of the most striking books ever to come my way: it offers an innovative and convincing theory of the role of lies within violence, and illustrates it with marvellously drawn examples—from the Conquest of the Americas to the Holocaust, and from the War on Terror to the Rape of Nanjing."" John A. Hall, McGill University ""Posocco ranges widely over the last five centuries and across several academic disciplines in this insightful study of the links among political domination, political violence, and systemic deception.The result is a new and important strand of political theory, anchored in historical examples."" J.R. McNeill, Georgetown University

Author Information

Lorenzo Posocco is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Subjectivity Research (CFS), University of Copenhagen. He holds a dual PhD in Sociology and Political Science from University College Dublin (UCD) and the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), Paris. He has previously held lecturing and research positions at University College Dublin and Università di Roma Tor Vergata. He has also been a visiting scholar at the University of Cambridge (UK), Princeton University (USA), the University of Graz (Austria), and Yeditepe University (Istanbul, Türkiye).

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