http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/violence Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Wed, 22 Apr 2026 22:40:58 -0400 Wed, 22 Apr 2026 22:40:58 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1954/guns-and-suicidal-thoughts-in-adolescence-an-understudied-relationship By Max Gonzalez Saez-Diez - The prevalent school of thought states that suicidal ideation and suicide planning are not associated with living in households with firearms. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) in the years 1994 and 1995, I use multiple logistic regression models to estimate the effect of the availability of guns on the odds of adolescents in those households experiencing suicidal thoughts. By matching across several key demographic and psychosocial variables, I approximate a randomized treatment assignment. I find evidence that contradicts the prevalent... Fri, 06 May 2022 10:23 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1954/guns-and-suicidal-thoughts-in-adolescence-an-understudied-relationship http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1928/structural-violence-in-the-queer-community-a-comparative-analysis-of-international-human-rights-protections-for-lbtiq-people By Misty Farquhar - This paper discusses the structural violence experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, or queer (LGBTIQ+) people and people with disabilities (PWD), and reviews the international human rights protections available to each group through United Nations (UN) processes. It begins by exploring the human rights issues faced by LGBTIQ+ people, the impacts on their health and wellbeing, and the lack of international systems in place to protect them. It then repeats the process for PWD and highlights the efficacy of the protections afforded them. A comparative analysis contextualises the... Mon, 20 Dec 2021 09:19 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1928/structural-violence-in-the-queer-community-a-comparative-analysis-of-international-human-rights-protections-for-lbtiq-people http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1898/double-lives-a-qualitative-analysis-of-identity-navigation-in-chicagos-south-and-west-sides By Ava V. Levin - This paper draws on qualitative interviews to address internal and external identity navigation among gang members and how nonprofits address this navigation. Gang members ultimately lead double lives as they weave between gang and community life. At the same time, community members also engage with gang culture in daily life, as gang membership may be clear while gang and community life are blurred. This dual existence can breed cognitive dissonance, which gang members address through a variety of neutralization techniques that allow them to nevertheless view themselves as moral individuals.... Tue, 11 May 2021 02:03 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1898/double-lives-a-qualitative-analysis-of-identity-navigation-in-chicagos-south-and-west-sides http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1800/intergenerational-intimate-partner-violence-pathways-of-genetic-and-environmental-interactions By Clare Choi - Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health issue that results in social, psychological, emotional, and physical consequences. Although interventions may be continuously designed to combat this problem, IPV must first be understood in an intergenerational perspective before effective programs can be put into place. Intimate partner violence is historically viewed as a social and private phenomenon, tinged with shame and stigma. Existing literature on this issue predominantly focuses on the social environment, leaning towards theories that put blame on the social environment the... Tue, 22 Sep 2020 05:31 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1800/intergenerational-intimate-partner-violence-pathways-of-genetic-and-environmental-interactions http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1791/terry-richardson-and-the-celebration-of-porn-chic-a-critique-of-fashion-photography By Yasmeen Sabet - In On Photography, Susan Sontag derides photography for generating a sense of false objectivity. Focusing on the moral implications of taking a photograph, she explores the relationship between artist and subject, exposing photography as a medium contingent upon violating its subjects.[1] Engaging with Sontag’s text, the following analysis studies fashion photography as a site embodying this exploitation, revealing the disturbing power dynamic between a defamed fashion photographer and his underage subject. In deconstructing Terry Richardson’s 2011 image of Lindsey Wixson (fig 1),... Mon, 07 Sep 2020 10:51 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1791/terry-richardson-and-the-celebration-of-porn-chic-a-critique-of-fashion-photography http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1777/why-are-south-asian-immigrant-women-vulnerable-to-domestic-violence By Humza Husain - South Asian women in particular are not only vulnerable to domestic violence, but exceptionally vulnerable to underreporting of domestic violence. The problem compounds itself by making it difficult not only to quantify the issue, but also harder to understand its roots. This paper studies this phenomenon by analyzing the potential causes for both domestic violence as well as underreporting, through understanding what systemic, legislative, and cultural issues specifically plague South Asian women in the United States. Stark cultural differences between eastern and western values and culture,... Fri, 20 Dec 2019 09:25 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1777/why-are-south-asian-immigrant-women-vulnerable-to-domestic-violence http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1757/gender-based-violence-in-refugee-camps-understanding-and-addressing-the-role-of-gender-in-the-experiences-of-refugees By Mie A. Jensen - The discussion of 'women's rights' is often subsumed into the broader consideration of 'human rights,' but when it comes to understanding the experiences of the world's most vulnerable people — refugees — the issue of gender cannot be ignored. The experiences of refugees depend on one’s gender, where women are significantly disadvantaged. Globally, 80% of the refugee and internally displaced people are children and women, which leaves them in a vulnerable position (Qayum, Mohmand and Arooj 2012:63); this includes vulnerability to physical attacks, sexual assaults, and transactional... Tue, 05 Feb 2019 09:10 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1757/gender-based-violence-in-refugee-camps-understanding-and-addressing-the-role-of-gender-in-the-experiences-of-refugees http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1702/domestic-violence-and-the-indian-womens-movement-a-short-history By Kaamila Patherya - The Indian women’s movement, from the 1920s until the 1970s, was heavily influenced and directed by the external economic and political forces of the nation, to the effect that women’s issues were effectively sidelined, never occupying central concern in the minds of people. The period from the 1920s until Independence saw the imbuement of the women’s movement with nationalist politics, its contours shaped by the on-going struggle for freedom from British imperialism. This period, from the 1920s to the 1970s, was characterized by the inception of various local women’s associations... Wed, 08 Nov 2017 10:33 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1702/domestic-violence-and-the-indian-womens-movement-a-short-history http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1553/sex-and-sexual-violence-in-mary-shelleys-frankenstein By Rachel Chung - Told through the framed account of a Captain Walton, who encounters Frankenstein in pursuit of his monster across the frozen northern sea, Frankenstein begins with a brief account of his picturesque childhood. Frankenstein begins his great experiment at university in Ingolstadt, where he brings his horrifying creature to life. A year after panicking and abandoning the monster, Frankenstein learns that his brother, William, has been murdered. Frankenstein’s conviction that his monster is the murderer is confirmed when he encounters the creature in the mountains outside of Geneva. In another... Thu, 09 Mar 2017 09:26 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1553/sex-and-sexual-violence-in-mary-shelleys-frankenstein http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1511/the-role-of-female-quotas-and-female-activism-in-passing-gender-based-violence-legislation-in-sub-saharan-africa-south-africa-as-a-case-study By Gina Starfield - In the 1900s, gender-based violence was commonplace throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Surveys conducted in the region revealed that over 40% of Ugandan, Zambian, and Kenyan women, and 60% of Tanzanian women experienced regular physical abuse.2 Over 80% of married Nigerian women reported being verbally or physically abused by their husbands.3 In most countries, however, state assistance and legal protections were non-existent or nascent and very limited. In South Africa, for example, an abused woman could only seek state assistance through a "peace order." She could submit a complaint of abuse to... Mon, 05 Dec 2016 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1511/the-role-of-female-quotas-and-female-activism-in-passing-gender-based-violence-legislation-in-sub-saharan-africa-south-africa-as-a-case-study http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1498/the-use-of-violence-on-the-american-frontiers-examining-us-native-american-relations-in-the-18th-and-19th-centuries By Kaden Prowse - Following the end of the American Revolutionary War of 1776 to 1783, the U.S. government adopted an aggressive and expansionistic policy towards Native Americans on its frontiers. From the closing years of the 18th century to the end of the 19th century, the U.S. continually relied on these policies to open up the western frontiers for settlement and colonization by American settlers and immigrants from Europe. Native American tribes that opposed the U.S., or unintentionally got in its way, were swiftly dealt with by the U.S. and forced onto reservations where they could be controlled. The history... Mon, 21 Nov 2016 08:23 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1498/the-use-of-violence-on-the-american-frontiers-examining-us-native-american-relations-in-the-18th-and-19th-centuries http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1452/defining-a-terrorist-a-critical-examination-of-the-discourse-of-terrorism By Kanar Talabani - Understanding the term 'terrorist' is a complex and controversial issue within both academic scholarship and mainstream literature. By adopting a post-structuralist approach to the study of 'terrorism,' we are able to dissect the terms and understand how and why they have become dominant in recent years. This involves an in depth critical analysis of the knowledge and understanding of the use of the term. This essay applies post-colonial theory in understanding the evolution of identity discourse and its application within the study of 'terrorism.' I focus on the Eurocentric approaches to defining... Wed, 21 Sep 2016 08:26 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1452/defining-a-terrorist-a-critical-examination-of-the-discourse-of-terrorism http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1474/exaggerations-and-stereotypes-of-schizophrenia-in-contemporary-films By Nikita DeMare - Due to filmmakers focusing on violence, traumatic events, and hallucinations when depicting characters with schizophrenia, critics have scrutinized the representation of mental disorders in contemporary films for years. This study compared previous research on schizophrenia with the fictional representation of the disease in contemporary films. Through content analysis, this study examined 10 films featuring a schizophrenic protagonist, tallying moments of violence and charting if they fell into four common stereotypes. Results showed a high frequency of violent behavior in films depicting schizophrenic... Tue, 31 May 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1474/exaggerations-and-stereotypes-of-schizophrenia-in-contemporary-films http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1570/rationally-irrational-applying-the-rational-actor-model-to-rio-de-janeiros-police-gang-conflict By Amber Waltz - Both gangs and police in Rio de Janeiro seemingly operate irrationally in an extended conflict, as it is highly unlikely that the state will make drug dealing legal, and it is also unlikely that gangs would be able to destroy the police through armed force. This article attempts to determine why favela gangs and police became and are still engaged in a conflict with what some see as an inevitable outcome, using the rational actor model to determine the motivations and strategies of each side. This article finds that because gangs understand their importance to Rio's society and depend on the income... Tue, 31 May 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1570/rationally-irrational-applying-the-rational-actor-model-to-rio-de-janeiros-police-gang-conflict http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1390/comparing-the-roots-of-conflict-in-europe-the-middle-east-and-africa By Jacob C. Potts - In public discourse, Africa and the Middle East have become synonymous with ethnic and religious conflict, whereas Europe is known as a bastion of peace and stability. But are areas known for their ‘high conflict’ truly more susceptible to regional conflict compared to the more 'peaceful' regions? Our findings indicate that the Middle East and North Africa are not as susceptible to the conflicts previously mentioned. We instead propose a more complex view of conflict, where ethnic and religious conflict occur in most regions and factors such as the Cold War in Europe and the existence... Fri, 15 Apr 2016 07:31 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1390/comparing-the-roots-of-conflict-in-europe-the-middle-east-and-africa http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1092/the-human-rights-impacts-of-vawa-2013-a-true-victory-for-native-american-women By Lauren R. Kelly - The level of gender violence against native women in the United States has reached epidemic proportions. Furthermore, the vast majority of Native American gender violence victims are abused at the hands of non-native men. Native American tribes are considered to be “domestic dependents” of the United States, meaning that they have the inherent authority to govern themselves and also maintain U.S. citizenship rights. This system creates multiple overlapping governing systems on tribal reservations, as illustrated by determining jurisdiction over gender violence crimes. Tribal courts... Fri, 01 May 2015 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1092/the-human-rights-impacts-of-vawa-2013-a-true-victory-for-native-american-women http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1016/mob-violence-against-women-in-algeria-a-historical-case-analysis By Renee S. Grozelle - Violence against women has recently become well recognized as a violation of human rights that holds worldwide significance. Unfortunately, violence against women outside of North America has gone largely unnoticed among the academic community and the media. Algerian citizens have seen this failure to acknowledge violent incidents targeting women as a simplistic representation of underlying problems facing Algerian women in local communities. This paper applies Marshall and Stockes’ (1981) Schematic Presentation of Political Contingencies in an effort to identify historical and cultural... Fri, 20 Mar 2015 03:36 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1016/mob-violence-against-women-in-algeria-a-historical-case-analysis http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/992/womens-issues-in-the-obama-era-expanding-equality-and-social-opportunity-under-the-obama-administration By Caitlin Morelli - In 1972, The Equal Rights Amendment was first introduced to Congress to protect an individual’s irrefutable equality of rights under the law regardless of sex. Although it passed both houses and failed to secure the necessary votes for state ratification, it is still a monumental achievement in the feminist movement for the momentum it created around equal rights. Four decades have passed since the ERA was proposed, yet the social and economic balance between men and women is still grossly skewed. This is first and foremost a matter of basic human rights, however this gap can have drastic... Sat, 07 Feb 2015 10:16 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/992/womens-issues-in-the-obama-era-expanding-equality-and-social-opportunity-under-the-obama-administration http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/869/hegemonic-masculinity-in-boys-dont-cry-1999 By Renee S. Grozelle - The need for individuals to categorize themselves and others based on gender has guided the way individuals interact with one another throughout history. The construction of gender, particularly when it comes to young males, has led to the amplification of negative characteristics associated with hegemonic masculinity. These negative characteristics have often been associated with an increase in the violence and aggression used in homophobic hate crimes committed by men. In order to highlight the negative impacts that hegemonic masculinity has on constructions of gender and sexuality, the film... Tue, 18 Mar 2014 11:14 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/869/hegemonic-masculinity-in-boys-dont-cry-1999 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1597/intent-to-harm-factors-influencing-target-selection-by-africa-islamist-militant-groups By Adam Cook - The rise of Islamist militant groups and their propensity towards violence has perplexed researchers and policy-makers and lead to debate about how to handle this evolving asymmetric threat. However the general focus of past research has been on groups in the Middle East and Central Asia, overlooking African Islamist extremist groups, which have attacked both local and international targets. This case study examines one possible explanation for these groups' target selection. The analysis indicates that government responses play a large role in determining the internationalization of targets by... Tue, 31 Dec 2013 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1597/intent-to-harm-factors-influencing-target-selection-by-africa-islamist-militant-groups http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/755/mexican-drug-activity-economic-development-and-unemployment-in-a-rational-choice-framework By David J. Masucci - From his inauguration in 2005 to the end of his presidency in 2012, Mexican President Felipe Calderon presided over one of the most violent periods in his country’s history. Making good on one of his election promises, Calderon unleashed the country’s military against drug trafficking organizations (DTO’s) and other criminal gangs who usurped authority from local governments in the northern and western parts of the country. The result has been a brutal and sustained war between Mexico’s security forces and the drug cartels. U.S. media outlets report daily violence from... Thu, 05 Sep 2013 12:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/755/mexican-drug-activity-economic-development-and-unemployment-in-a-rational-choice-framework http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/732/addressing-the-use-of-sexual-violence-as-a-strategic-weapon-of-war By Joshua A. Jones - This paper examines historical and contemporary instances wherein sexual violence, specifically rape, was used as a strategic weapon amid both traditional and tribal conflict, as well as in genocidal operations. It analyzes the cogency of sexual violence as a weapon by considering its physical and psychological effects on victims and the morale of targeted populations. Additionally, it scrutinizes the motivations and intentions that support the use of sexual violence during armed conflict in order to ascertain potential methods by which the incentive may be removed or mediated. The intent of this... Mon, 01 Apr 2013 08:39 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/732/addressing-the-use-of-sexual-violence-as-a-strategic-weapon-of-war http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/706/obtaining-justice-for-victims-of-strangulation-in-domestic-violence-evidence-based-prosecution-and-strangulation-specific-training By Brigitte P. Volochinsky - Strangulation accounts for 10-percent of violent deaths in the United States, with six female victims to every male victim. A common form of abuse in domestic violence, strangulation may result in many harmful health effects and it often indicates either an ongoing pattern of abuse or it foreshadows escalating violence. Yet, strangulation is often minimized by the criminal justice system, including law enforcement officials, emergency room medical personnel, and prosecutors, who equate strangulation with a slap on the face. The phenomenon of minimizing a violent and life-threatening act occurs... Wed, 10 Oct 2012 10:53 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/706/obtaining-justice-for-victims-of-strangulation-in-domestic-violence-evidence-based-prosecution-and-strangulation-specific-training http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1243/the-consequences-of-rape-during-conflict-in-the-democratic-republic-of-congo By Elizabeth Dettke - "I rape because of the need. After that I feel like a man." These are the words of a rebel soldier who ruthlessly roams the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in search of his next victims. Rape has been used in the past during warfare to weaken populations and ruin communities and family bonds but never to the extent witnessed in the DRC today. Literally, tens of thousands of women have been raped and this number is most likely largely underestimated. The conflict has been called Africa's First World War and one of the deadliest since World War II with the death toll reaching 5... Sun, 15 Apr 2012 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1243/the-consequences-of-rape-during-conflict-in-the-democratic-republic-of-congo http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/602/the-fenian-dynamite-campaign-and-the-irish-american-impetus-for-dynamite-terror-1881-1885 By Shane Kenna - From January 1881 to January 1885 Fenianism successfully established an air of fear and paranoia amongst the British public, while their choice of targets indicates that their aim was to disrupt the common experience of daily life by introducing fear into the simplest everyday experiences. The purpose of this paper is not to provide a chronological outline of the Fenian dynamite campaign, nor to examine the circumstances of any particular Fenian bombing. Instead, this paper explores the rationale and motivation behind the emergence of the Fenian dynamite campaign as a proactive strategy amongst... Sun, 18 Dec 2011 10:55 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/602/the-fenian-dynamite-campaign-and-the-irish-american-impetus-for-dynamite-terror-1881-1885 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1231/mass-killing-politics-by-other-means By Brian Chao - My first case study, of Rome and Carthage, demonstrates that mass killing has a long history and is not unique to the modern era. After the Third Punic War, Rome reduced Carthage to rubble, sowed the fields with salt to ensure nothing could be grown, killed the men, and sold the women and children into slavery. The Carthaginian civilization ceased to exist. This was not done out of bloodlust or plunder, though that surely did occur; Rather, Rome was reacting to an economic and political rival that was also geographically threatening. In the previous Punic War, Hannibal had roamed through Italy... Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1231/mass-killing-politics-by-other-means http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/401/identity-in-conflict-race-and-violent-crime-in-south-africa-in-the-context-of-contemporary-insurgencies By Ethan D. Steyn - The issue of violence and ethnicity in criminal and war environments has many facets, and this article attempts to contextualize forms of violent crime in South Africa that involve identities within the theoretical discourse on contemporary warfare, with a specific focus on the functioning of white and black identities. Comparing crime with war is a familiar analogy in South Africa: from Koos Kombuis in the song “Reconciliation Day” (Bloedrivier, 2008) to J.M. Coetzee’s novel, Disgrace (1999), to Etienne van Heerden’s 30 Nagte in Amsterdam (2008), many artists have likened... Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:42 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/401/identity-in-conflict-race-and-violent-crime-in-south-africa-in-the-context-of-contemporary-insurgencies http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/399/human-rights-truth-commissions-and-anthropology-in-latin-america By Malissa Candland - As a whole, anthropologists have devoted little effort to studying mass violence and terror and even though they recently have begun embracing it as a legitimate area of study, little anthropological work has been completed (Sanabria 352). Yet systematic violence has been a common theme in much of Latin America and has affected the lives of millions of Latin Americans. By studying the social, political and cultural consequences of this violence on the lives of Latin Americans, anthropologists can inject an important analysis into the origins and consequences of mass violence and how nations and... Wed, 02 Mar 2011 08:56 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/399/human-rights-truth-commissions-and-anthropology-in-latin-america http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/352/ending-ethnic-conflict-and-creating-positive-peace-in-rwanda-and-sierra-leone By Katherine J. Wolfenden - Although peace and pacifism are familiar ideas to most students today, for much of human history these concepts have been relegated to the religious domain and excluded from the study and practice of politics.[1] At the same time, war--organized violent conflict between different groups of people--has traditionally been considered a natural occurrence, based on popular assumptions about the inclinations and limitations of human nature.[2] Of course, many today still believe that peace is idealistic and war is inevitable, but other theories have emerged in modern times to explain the existence... Tue, 04 Jan 2011 09:13 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/352/ending-ethnic-conflict-and-creating-positive-peace-in-rwanda-and-sierra-leone http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/209/the-breakdown-of-censorship-in-american-cinema By William K. Boland - In America, the years from 1946 to 1962, labeled the “post classical era” of cinema, were years in a state of transition. American culture was simply unstoppable and alive, constantly changing and growing toward a more open society. However, though there was a shift in American values toward openness in addressing sexuality and violence as well as other societal issues, it was in direct conflict with the conservative government currently in power. This conflict of ideals resulted in a caustic, explosive period of heightened awareness of violence, sexuality, social problems, and individuality... Mon, 22 Mar 2010 08:50 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/209/the-breakdown-of-censorship-in-american-cinema