Social Work

The possessive investment in guns: towards a material, social, and racial analysis of guns

B. Hunter-pazzara

Explore how our understanding of racial gun violence is transformed through the lens of anthropological theory on object-human relationships. This research, conducted by Brandon Hunter-Pazzara, reveals the complexities behind self-defense demands and the normalization of gun use, illustrating profound legal and marketing changes over time.

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Playback language: English

Index

Abstract

This essay uses anthropological theory on object-human relationships to reframe our understanding of racial gun violence. It argues that the demand for self-defense has altered the meaning of firearms and normalized racial gun violence. The essay traces legal, marketing, and engineering shifts that have increased concealed carry laws, racialized marketing tying gun ownership to self-defense, and the production of smaller, more powerful pistols. It then re-reads the Trayvon Martin murder, focusing on Zimmerman's weapon and its role in the killing and acquittal. The essay demonstrates how new materialist scholarship can help understand racial gun violence.

Publisher

Palgrave Communications

Published On

May 04, 2020

Authors

Brandon Hunter-Pazzara

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