The concept of symbolic violence was first introduced by French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu to differentiate the classification of knowledge and social organisation. Pierre Bourdieu Pierre Bourdieu (August 1, 1930-January 23, 2002) was a French sociologistwhose work ranged widely from philosophy to anthropology. ...

In political terms, symbolic violence can also mean gunboat diplomacy. In international politics, gunboat diplomacy refers to the pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of military power—implying or constituting a direct threat of warfare, should terms not be agreeable to the superior force. ...