Week 9

This week in class we talked about the three different responses to victimization that Kakar outlines in The Colors of Violence. He describes how these responses are (1) loss of agency/disempowerment, (2) Andulus Syndrome (mourning a loss and grandiose past), and (3) fundamentalism. The later of the three is different than the other two in that it focuses on the humiliation felt by the victims rather than a feeling of mourning or grieving. This, in turn, leads to the anger and rage embodied by fundamentalist groups and results in their violent attributes. I found this an interesting insight into the drive behind fundamentalism. It reminded me of all the times as a child where the feeling of humiliation, due to fights or arguments with my friends, left me so angry that it felt like the only way to get over it was to retaliate with physical aggression. As simple as a comparison as this may seem, it made me realize how much this characteristic of humiliation and violence are basic human instincts. Only as I grew up and matured did I develop the self control and composure needed in life and learn that physical aggression no longer stood as a viable reaction to discontent. However, when one grows up in a culture and society that is plagued with poverty and violence, this learned need for restraint in reaction to frustration/humiliation may not take precedent. Although it offers no excuse, this idea presents a forum for understanding why such violent fundamentalist groups exist.