Aggression is an essentially contested concept. What is meant by “aggression” has changed dramatically over the past two centuries. What ideological, political, and economic forces have produced practices that are categorized as “aggressive” at any period of time and for any particular group? What do these systems of classification and regulation tell historians about gender and power in late nineteenth and twentieth century culture?

Professor Joanna Bourke is Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London, and Fellow of the British Academy (FBA). She the author of 11 books, the most recent being Rape: A History from the 1860s to the Present (2007), What it Means to be Human: Reflections from 1791 to the Present (2011), The Story of Pain: From Prayer to Painkillers (2014), and Wounding the World: How Military Violence and War-Play are Invading our Lives (Virago). Most of her research focusses on violence, war, the emotions, suffering, and gender.