A Landscape of Publications on Violence in Spanish and a Review of Their Relevance for Educational Research

Abstract

Due to the prevalence of English in the scientific field, which often diverges culturally from studies on school violence in Spain and Latin America, this paper provides a selective review of peer-reviewed academic literature on violence, with a focus on its educational relevance. The aim is to offer an overview of Spanish-language publications that contribute to conceptual reflections on school violence, thereby supporting future research in the region. This review includes both original Spanish works and international texts translated into Spanish, resulting in a preliminary selection of approximately 80 publications, spanning from the early 20th century to 2024. Out of these, 61 are discussed in this paper, categorized into five subgroups: a) texts from international organizations; b) classical works or those by renowned authors; c) review texts (with similar aims to this one) that discuss multiple works on a single topic; d) institutional documents, including those from civil society organizations and university-backed institutes; and e) peer-reviewed articles published in specialized journals, primarily in education but also from disciplines such as anthropology or philosophy, which offer valuable, unique, or innovative insights for educational contexts. The paper concludes with reflections on the polysemy of the term violence and the need for practical delimitation, without losing sight of its complex, often unquantifiable dimensions. Lastly, it advocates for the continued production and wide dissemination of open-access, Spanish-language content through journals and collaborative networks.