On Beheading

Every society and civilization has, at some point, practiced beheading, and for thousands of years public decapitations were a routine part of life in many parts of the world. Some states and many non-state groups still carry it out today, which raises an obvious question: what would lead anyone to inflict such a fate on another person? Execution by decapitation is deeply disturbing to witness, yet its meaning has always been shaped by particular cultural, religious and political circumstances. Recent history suggests the practice is returning in certain religious and political settings.

Despite its importance, the subject has received little scholarly attention. Researchers have explained particular forms of beheading in specific eras, but no study has tried to examine the practice as a whole. This book approaches the topic largely through philosophy, while drawing on several branches of the social sciences. It gathers evidence from anthropology, literature, jurisprudence and religion, and combines these sources into a single argument that treats beheading as one coherent subject.