Molecularization of violence: the impact of technology on the use of force

• Grant number: 22/16443-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2023
• End date: April 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - International Politics
• Principal Investigator: Héctor Luis Saint-Pierre
• Grantee: Mayara Zorzo
• Host Institution: Instituto de Políticas Públicas e Relações Internacionais (IPPRI). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The new technological capabilities and their potential for social insertion were incorporated into the thematic repertoire of International Relations. It is not by chance: its socio-technological penetration seems to dissolve classic concepts of that field of study. Conceptual boundaries, such as the ones between the national or the international, peace and war, and between military and civilian objectives, marked by the modality of the use of violence, disappear in the face of technology. Just as these new technological capabilities provide strategic advantages in the military field, they also enable new forms of disputes and guarantee advantages in the political, economic, and social spheres. Therefore, the technological impact has become the object of IR from different approaches. Here we question ourselves about the implications of technological development for the reproduction of various forms of violence. In this process, we highlight two central aspects: a) the replacement of subjectivity in the perception of threats, and; b) its use in the exercise of violence, from the multidimensional "global view" of battlefields to the psychological violence of induced self-control. We understand that forms of violence are not limited to direct military confrontation, but also acquire a molecularized potential. We will evaluate the technological development and its implications, mainly how the forms of repression and violence are conserved or adapted in the current reality. We will employ a qualitative methodology based on the analysis of political and sociological historical texts, seeking inputs for reflections that allow us to highlight the impact of technologies on security practices.