The anatomy of violence: A study of the literature

•Analysis of the definitional problems of the concept of violence.•Interdisciplinary study of the concept of violence.•An attempt to systematize approaches to understanding the phenomenon of violence.

This review of the literature is a cross-disciplinary and systematic analysis of the concept of violence in human societies. The article provides a framework for understanding the phenomenon of violence in such areas as: sociology, political science, anthropology, and philosophy. Two main concept types of violence definitions were differentiated, described, and examined: the narrow and the broad. The narrow definition of violence is characteristic mainly in the political science field, where violence is defined as the unauthorized (illegal, unlawful) use of physical force. The broad definition of violence is associated with sociology, anthropology, and philosophy. The broad concepts are strongly varied in scope and content, including numerous phenomena, such as hate speech, structural and cultural violence, and other manifestations of latent violence, including: iconic violence, media and symbolic violence. Politically motivated violence is a special kind of violence. This is a paradoxical phenomenon — condemned and at the same time indispensable in contemporary political systems and democratic regimes. The review gives rise to different ideas and ways of defining the concept of violence.