Beyond obedience: Lessons about the mass violence of ordinary people through an examination of European witch-hunting

This dissertation argues that an important element of mass violence and genocide is the involvement of ordinary people, which Arendt described as the banality of evil. The question addressed here is how people who are not violent in their own lives can nevertheless come together into a killing machine that can wreak holocaust. This question is ultimately about the system of social control under which people act and it is investigated by using a case study--witch-hunting in early modern Europe. The longevity and intensity of this direct, face-to-face violence against women provides a rich source of data for generating theory about how ordinary people participate in extraordinary evil. Much of the little research that does address this question is based directly on Milgram's research on obedience to authority. My research argues that obedience per se has limited explanatory power, but the experiments are useful for generating ideas about other dimensions of explanation. In general, we must understand that the context within which people act relates to a bureaucracy or command hierarchy that organizes people into a killing machine. This context helps people see their actions in a positive light and alienates them from the suffering that results from their actions. First, authorities in a society create a definition of the situation that authorizes the destruction of others. It defines others as an immediate threat, and thus confers glory, heroism, identity and meaning on those willing to do something in defense of The Good. Second, the bureaucratic organization helps divide labor and diffuse responsibility by creating small, repetitive tasks. This behavior becomes normalized, and the switch to an 'agentic state' translates moral issues into a formal rationality emphasizing efficient means to achieve role expectations. Third, the victim group must not only be dehumanized, but demonized if they are to be systematically slaughtered. Conditions that create difficult life times are likely to cause moral panics and promote the creation of scapegoats or folk devils.