Tenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

The threat of violence is a characteristic feature of urban life. While this threat is not unique to the city, urban conditions exacerbate the problems violence responds to and seeks to solve, namely close proximity to strangers, high concentrations of poverty, and working conditions that disrupt the integrity of families and produce alienation. Many proposed solutions to this threat are articulated in technical terms, appealing to the possibilities inherent within technological innovation and advancement. Police officers are given body cameras, public transportation is improved, new housing developments are created, and each has been articulated in terms of its capacity to improve the conditions of the city and to prevent crime and violence. These technological solutions are not bad in themselves. They often, however, prove ineffective at solving the issues that so profoundly affect urban life. In my paper, I posit the biblical narrative of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) as an important theological resource for understanding and responding to violence in the city. Building on recent scholarly work in narrative and historical criticism, I first examine the ways the story of Babel establishes conceptual links between violence, image-bearing, and technique in its understanding of the urban milieu. Next, I consider the relevance of these themes for the problem of urban violence. Finally, I argue that it is not a technique that saves the inhabitants of the city from the mutual threat of violence but the virtue of solidarity.