The concept of cultural violence was introduced by sociologist Johan Galtung as part of a broader taxonomy of forms of violence. Cultural violence consists of background ideologies (collective beliefs, values, and so on) that function to legitimate structural and direct forms of violence, thus providing a more subtle and nuanced framework for understanding violence than those who equate violence with violent acts. The concept of violence is notoriously difficult to articulate adequately, and Galtung’s consequentialist account encounters difficulties due to its over-specificity. However, his conception of violence per se is detachable from his useful account of the three spheres in which violence operates.