Political Fractionality and Epistemological Violence

Abstract

Researching youth violence raises difficult questions about normative assumptions and the ethical problems of universalising and relativistic epistemologies. Furthermore, the study of youth as not simply an abstract concept, but as an idea that concerns real, feeling and conscious subjects, raises questions for violence studies about the focus of the research and its participatory nature. In this chapter, I examine these issues and raise the possibility of ‘epistemological violence’ (Teo, 2010) when studying youth violence. I begin the chapter with by clarification my use of the terms ‘subjective’ and ‘objective’ concerning violence and epistemologies. Having clarified these terms, I turn to examine the strengths and weaknesses of universalising and relativising epistemologies for studying youth violence. Subsequently, I argue that Political Fractionality offers a framework that avoids synergistic solutions and requires researchers to examine the effects of their political and ethical orientations.