Discours idéologiques et violence de masse : la légitimation de la destruction en contexte colonial
This study is about the role of ideology in mass violence within colonial context. In the 19th century, counter-insurrection campaigns aiming to put down colonial revolts and mutinies against Empires have often targeted civilians. In India, during the Indian Mutiny of 1857, thousands of non-combatants have been killed in answer to the insurrection. In this study, we look at the role of ideology in that kind of colonial atrocities. Theoretically, we try to clarify the link between ideology and violent practices on the ground. We argue that ideological analysis can gain explanatory force by putting aside, without refuting it, the idea of ideology as a motivation to kill. Instead, we conceptualize it as a collective phenomenon that engages the legitimation of violence within armed groups. Empirically, a case study in a colonial context is proposed from Leader Maynard's theory of the ideological mechanisms that can legitimize violence. The discourse analysis of soldiers on the ground during the Indian Mutiny has permitted to identify some ideological particularities that can enrich this theory. We point out a tension in the colonial discourse between the supposed benefits of colonialism brought to the colonial subjects, and the need to make sense of their destruction in a context of insurrection. In summary, this analysis draws a portrait of the different discursive forms related to violence, while clarifying their role in these destructive dynamics leading to the indiscriminate killings of noncombatants.
Discours Ideology Discourse Legitimacy Mass violence Colonialism