Neo-Marxism Flashcards
What do Neo-Marxists argue is necessary for a fully social theory of deviance?
It needs to bring together six aspects:
-Wider Origins of Deviant Act
-Immediate Origins of Deviant Act
-The Act Itself
-Immediate Origins of Social Reaction
-Wider Origins of Social Reaction
-Effects of Labelling Devients Future Actions.
What are the wider origins of the deviant act according to Neo-Marxists?
Crime is related to wider structural factors such as inequality of power, NOT because people are ‘bad’ or ‘evil’.
What do feminists criticize about Taylor et al’s approach to deviance?
It is gender blind, focusing excessively on male criminality at the expense of female criminality.
What are the immediate origins of the deviant act?
The context in which the individual decides to commit a crime-
humans are RATIONAL. E.g. poor crimes relating to poverty. Rich crimes relating to increasing power.
According to Neo-Marxists, how do individuals make rational choices regarding crime?
For a poor person, it may be rational to choose crimes relating to poverty; for a rich person, it may be rational to choose crimes that increase power.
What does ‘The Act Itself’ refer to in the context of deviance?
What the crime means to the actor and their reasons for committing it.
What criticism do left realists have regarding the romanticization of WC criminals? (Ao3)
They argue it depicts them as ‘Robin Hoods’ who fight capitalism by re-distributing wealth from rich. However, criminals simply prey on the poor.
What are the immediate origins of social reaction in relation to deviance?
The reactions of those around the deviant, such as police, family, and community.
What do left realists argue about Taylor et al’s treatment of crime?
They do not take crime seriously and ignore its effects on working class victims.
What are the wider origins of the social reaction to deviance?
The structure of capitalist society, including who has the power to define actions as deviant and why some are treated more harshly than others.
What is the effect of labeling on a deviant’s future actions?
The process by which a deviant responds to a social reaction, leading to deviance amplification in some cases.
