Harm's Way: Language and the Contemporary Arts of War

Abstract

How does language operate as an instrument of warfare? Leaving behind the idea of violence as beyond words, this essay seeks out terms for a reflection on linguistic violence and the weaponization of language in warfare. Using theories of war and examples from current United States engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq, the essay examines language as an essential element of violent action and as military weaponry under such rubrics as psychological operations, interrogation, morale building, force multiplication, and cultural awareness. The essay reflects on the semantic work of making warfare and violence meaningful to those who sacrifice for them and on the language predicaments that states of war create and cannot solve.

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