The Quiet Architecture of Violence:
Sun Feb 01 2026
Part I: Memory Identity and What We Learn Not to See
We often think of violence as something visible: a war, a riot, a gun. Yet much of the violence shaping our world is quieter—folded into the ways we trade, govern, build institutions, and even convince ourselves we are doing good. My guest today, Guillaume Soto-Mayor, examines how violence becomes part of economic and social life, how it hides behind legality and necessity, and how it continues to shape societies long after the shooting stops.
His book, The Economies of Violence, explores how power and harm intertwine across very different contexts, from human trafficking and forced labour to digital systems and political institutions.
In the first part of our conversation, we identify and unpack different forms of violence in global society. We draw on examples ranging from hidden family histories and colonial legacies, to child abuse, public health, film industries, and political systems. Together, we lay the foundations for understanding how violence and economic life become deeply entangled.
In this episode, we explore:
00:00:00 — Intro: Visible vs. invisible violence
00:04:55 — How violence operates on both macro and micro levels
00:10:30 — “Quiet” forms of legal and institutional violence
00:18:15 — How violence becomes tied to identity, self-worth, and belonging
00:44:20 — Why “just transition” and climate policies often fail to account for violent actors
00:27:40 — The normalization of gendered, social, and environmental violence
00:36:35 — What connects protest movements across very different societies
00:52:10 — Violence as a hidden variable shaping global markets
01:00:30 — How The Economies of Violence came about
Links and resources:
The Economies of Violence: The Forgotten Variable — Guillaume Soto-Mayor
https://brill.com/display/title/70924
Egregor — a non-profit catalyst for social and environmental justice
https://www.egregor.net/
Connect with Guillaume Soto-Mayor
https://www.linkedin.com/in/guillaume-soto-mayor-60416769/
Freakonomics — Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
https://freakonomics.com/books/
The Tyranny of Merit — Michael J. Sandel
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/313112/the-tyranny-of-merit-by-sandel-michael-j/9780141991177
Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil — Hannah Arendt
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/62456/eichmann-in-jerusalem-by-arendt-hannah/9780241552292
More
Part I: Memory Identity and What We Learn Not to See We often think of violence as something visible: a war, a riot, a gun. Yet much of the violence shaping our world is quieter—folded into the ways we trade, govern, build institutions, and even convince ourselves we are doing good. My guest today, Guillaume Soto-Mayor, examines how violence becomes part of economic and social life, how it hides behind legality and necessity, and how it continues to shape societies long after the shooting stops. His book, The Economies of Violence, explores how power and harm intertwine across very different contexts, from human trafficking and forced labour to digital systems and political institutions. In the first part of our conversation, we identify and unpack different forms of violence in global society. We draw on examples ranging from hidden family histories and colonial legacies, to child abuse, public health, film industries, and political systems. Together, we lay the foundations for understanding how violence and economic life become deeply entangled. In this episode, we explore: 00:00:00 — Intro: Visible vs. invisible violence 00:04:55 — How violence operates on both macro and micro levels 00:10:30 — “Quiet” forms of legal and institutional violence 00:18:15 — How violence becomes tied to identity, self-worth, and belonging 00:44:20 — Why “just transition” and climate policies often fail to account for violent actors 00:27:40 — The normalization of gendered, social, and environmental violence 00:36:35 — What connects protest movements across very different societies 00:52:10 — Violence as a hidden variable shaping global markets 01:00:30 — How The Economies of Violence came about Links and resources: The Economies of Violence: The Forgotten Variable — Guillaume Soto-Mayor https://brill.com/display/title/70924 Egregor — a non-profit catalyst for social and environmental justice https://www.egregor.net/ Connect with Guillaume Soto-Mayor https://www.linkedin.com/in/guillaume-soto-mayor-60416769/ Freakonomics — Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner https://freakonomics.com/books/ The Tyranny of Merit — Michael J. Sandel https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/313112/the-tyranny-of-merit-by-sandel-michael-j/9780141991177 Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil — Hannah Arendt https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/62456/eichmann-in-jerusalem-by-arendt-hannah/9780241552292