When we think of violence, we often imagine physical harm—wars, crimes, or direct acts of aggression. But violence also exists in invisible, systemic, and deeply ingrained forms that shape societies over time. Two key concepts that explain these hidden forces are symbolic violence and cultural violence. Both describe how power operates through ideas, beliefs, and norms rather than physical force, yet they function differently. Symbolic violence refers to the way people internalize and accept social hierarchies, while cultural violence describes the broader cultural narratives that justify inequality and oppression. Understanding these forms of violence is essential to challenging systems of domination that often go unnoticed.
Symbolic Violence: When People Accept Their Own Oppression
French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu introduced the term symbolic violence to describe the subtle and unconscious ways that power operates through social norms, education, and cultural expectations. Unlike physical violence, symbolic violence does not require coercion; instead, it works by making inequality seem natural, justified, or even desirable.
For example, consider gender norms. Many women are socialized to see assertiveness as unfeminine and may hesitate to demand higher wages or leadership positions—not because they are incapable, but because they have internalized societal expectations that discourage ambition. Similarly, students from marginalized backgrounds may feel less intelligent in elite academic settings, not because of their abilities, but because they have been conditioned to see themselves as inferior.
A powerful aspect of symbolic violence is that those affected do not always recognize it as violence. It shapes perceptions so deeply that people unknowingly participate in their own subjugation. A person with a regional accent who feels the need to "fix" their speech to sound more professional is experiencing symbolic violence—they have internalized the belief that some ways of speaking are inherently better than others, even though linguistic diversity is socially constructed.
Cultural Violence: How Societies Justify Oppression
While symbolic violence operates on an individual level, cultural violence works on a broader societal scale. The term was coined by Johan Galtung, a peace studies scholar, to describe the cultural norms, symbols, and ideologies that make violence and oppression seem acceptable or inevitable.
Cultural violence can be found in history, religion, media, and national myths—all of which can be used to justify discrimination, war, and social exclusion. One clear example is how colonialism was justified through cultural narratives that portrayed non-European societies as "primitive" and in need of "civilization." This made the violence of colonization appear as a noble mission rather than exploitation.
Religious justifications for gender inequality also serve as cultural violence. When religious doctrines depict women as submissive or secondary to men, they reinforce systems of domination in ways that seem morally justified rather than oppressive. Similarly, racial discrimination has been upheld by pseudoscientific theories that classify some groups as "naturally" superior to others—another example of cultural violence legitimizing social hierarchy.
Even the entertainment industry plays a role. Films, books, and media often reinforce stereotypes about race, gender, and class, making certain inequalities seem like normal features of society rather than injustices to be challenged.
How Symbolic and Cultural Violence Work Together
Symbolic and cultural violence are deeply interconnected. Cultural violence provides the overarching narratives that justify inequality, while symbolic violence ensures that individuals internalize and reproduce those narratives.
For instance, a culturally violent narrative might depict poverty as a result of laziness rather than systemic inequality. Once this belief is widespread, symbolic violence ensures that poor individuals blame themselves rather than questioning the system that keeps them in poverty. Similarly, cultural violence may establish the idea that women are naturally nurturing and self-sacrificing, while symbolic violence makes women internalize and conform to these roles.
Why These Forms of Violence Matter
Unlike physical violence, symbolic and cultural violence do not trigger immediate resistance because they are invisible and normalized. When a dictator uses military force, people recognize the oppression and may resist. But when inequality is embedded in cultural narratives and internalized by individuals, it becomes much harder to challenge.
Understanding symbolic and cultural violence is crucial for social change. It allows us to recognize how power operates beyond laws and policies, shaping beliefs, behaviors, and identities. To dismantle these forms of violence, we need to:
- Challenge dominant narratives in media, history, and education.
- Promote diverse voices that question cultural norms.
- Encourage critical thinking so that individuals recognize and resist symbolic violence in their own lives.
In summary, Symbolic and cultural violence are among the most pervasive yet hidden forms of power in society. While physical violence wounds the body, symbolic and cultural violence shape minds and social realities, making oppression feel normal and justified. By recognizing these invisible forces, we can begin to challenge the deep-seated beliefs that sustain inequality—and work toward a more just and conscious society.
