SOC - Postmodernism & Crime Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

Postmodernism

A
  • an analysis of the social and cultural features of late capitalism (post-modernity).
  • Postmodernists generally critique older theories, saying that they are no longer relevant.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Foucault

A

Surveillance and Social Control

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Surveillance and Social Control

A
  • Surveillance is invading private life more than ever.
  • Social control was previously exercised physically – through public executions and fear through religious institutions.
    In postmodern times, discipline became more subtle
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

How has discipline become more subtle? (foucault)

A
  1. through agencies of social control
  2. through policing the minds of the public
    - In postmodern society people are more individual so policing them can be harder – why we are encouraged to police ourselves and internalise bad behaviour.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Henry & Milovanovic

A
  • that the notion of crime should be reassessed because it no longer applies.
  • Current definitions are created by a narrow sector of society which makes much of it irrelevant to most people.
  • They argue we should consider social harm when defining crime.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Types of Social Harm (Henry and Milovanovic)

A
  1. Harms of Repression

2. Harms of Reduction

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Harms of Repression

A

when people cannot develop themselves due to being restricted by those in power. EG hate crime, sexual abuse, green crime

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Harms of Reduction

A

when someone experiences loss or injury, by someone else exercising power EG hit & run

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Winlow

A

Do men commit crime to express masculinity?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Winlow’s theory on masculinity

A
  • due to the decline in manual jobs, men now find it more difficult to express masculinity through their job.
  • Due to a shift in society, more jobs are available in leisure industries, meaning men who would’ve had manual jobs may not take these roles.
  • men take jobs like bouncers to express masculinity through violence and drug dealing.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Beck

A

Global Risk Society

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Global Risk Society

A
  • the media is a central part of postmodern society.
  • the media preys on people’s fears and tries to make them conscious of ‘risks’ to their way of life. EG people may fear losing their job or paying higher tax.
  • The media creates a ‘hate-figure’ such as ‘immigrants’ to make people fear them instead of the system. This can cause hate crime, which the media can write about and sell more papers
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Foucault Evaluation

A

May be helpful but they don’t offer much more in terms of explaining crime than realist ideas. His Panopticon prison has never been created and therefore we have no proof it would even work. However it can explain why surveillance techniques have become so widespread.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Beck Evaluation

A

When reporting against certain groups increases, so does hate crime against those groups. This could demonstrate that Beck’s theory is correct

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Henry & Milovanovic Evaluation

A

Doesn’t explain why only some people in a position of power choose to express it in this way. Though it does consider defining crime from more than just one perspective.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Winlow eval

A

Explains why a tiny sector of society may commit crime but doesn’t offer a solution and isn’t very widely applicable

17
Q

Why do Realists not agree with postmodernists ?

A

Postmodernists do not provide any solutions for crime, just more observations – like their predecessors.
It does offer an explanation for all crime, not just utilitarian ones.
Lea argues that Postmodernism is just agreeing with previous theories that crime is a social construction, but painting it as something else.

18
Q

Foucault’s Panopticon Prison

A
  • disciplinary concept where a central observation tower is placed within a circle of prison cells
  • From the tower, a guard can see every cell and inmate but the inmates can’t see into the tower. Prisoners will never know whether or not they are being watched.