Civilizing Torture: An American Tradition

Brundage confronts a grim subject with clear-eyed historical rigor, tracing how torture has been rationalized within American culture and power. The book explores the language of “civilization” as a tool for excusing violence, especially against marginalized groups. Brundage shows how practices of coercion appear across eras, shifting forms while retaining familiar logics. The narrative connects domestic and international contexts without flattening differences. It’s a history of institutions—police, prisons, military—and the myths that shield them from scrutiny. Brundage’s scholarship is meticulous, but the writing remains accessible, guided by a strong argumentative thread. The book challenges exceptionalist narratives, insisting that abuse is not an anomaly but a recurring feature of state power. It also examines public complicity: how audiences consume and normalize violence. The result is sobering and clarifying, the kind of history that changes how you read current events. A difficult but necessary work.