NCJ Number
210968
Journal
Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: 2005 Pages: 4-22
Date Published
2005
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This article presents an argument for using a social constructionist perspective to study crime.
Abstract
The theoretical perspective of social constructionism has become widely disseminated within the social sciences and humanities. Despite its wide uses, the perspective is often viewed as a challenge to more conventional perspectives, mainly because of its reluctance to identify uniform content or a coherent program of study, as well as its tendency to undermine other theoretical approaches. The author argues that a social constructionist perspective can be applied to criminological study and can illuminate many current criminological problems. The object of criminological research is problematized as the author shows how social constructionism can benefit the discipline of criminology. Recent Swedish studies that have relied on a constructionist perspective are reviewed as examples of how social constructionism can be applied to different types of criminological research. The challenges of applying social constructionism to criminological study are identified, as are the benefits. The author goes on to argue that a social constructionist perspective offers the opportunity to examine questions that are on the forefront of current criminological research, such as studies that examine the relationships between subjective experiences and internalized fear of crime. In closing, the author urges researchers to more thoroughly explore the central assumptions of social constructionism and how these assumptions can help in the understanding of deviant and criminal behavior within society. Footnotes, references