From my research question, three main topics are presented: dehumanization, disinhibition in warfare and drone strikes. These topics have been covered in various discourses. By referring to the existing scholarship on these topics, I will introduce key concepts and theories which have been used, that may be helpful in my own research. By assessing the strengths and weaknesses, and highlighting areas of disagreement and consensus, I will be able to identify gaps in the discourse and place my own research into the discourse.
My literature was selected based on the three key components in my research question. I identified the key literature for these fields and other relevant concepts. Most of the literature came in the form of either academic articles or book chapters.
The literature review will first look at dehumanization. The research shows that dehumanization often leads to less restraint in violence and aggression towards a person or group. Thus, the second part of the literature review will study the disinhibition of aggression in both
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They argue that dehumanization is the inverse process of anthropomorphism (58-59). Anthropomorphism involves giving a non-human object uniquely-human characteristics (58), which makes it deserving of moral consideration (59). The inverse, dehumanization, becomes the failure to ascribe humanlike characteristics to a human (59), which “licenses wrongdoing toward them” (60). Despite a very clear argument and logical method for mirroring the two concepts, Waytz et al.’s article does not receive much attention from other authors. Perhaps it would be valued more if its real life relevance was shown with a more extensive example, just as Haslam reviews examples of domains in which dehumanization occurs. This article also seems to be geared towards interpersonal relations, rather than intergroup relations which my research will focus on, making it less valuable for