Anomie, social change and crime. A theoretical examination of institutional-anomie theory
The last decade has seen a revived interest in using anomie theory in crime and deviance research. The present paper contributes to this development by offering an examination of a particular extension of anomie theory, namely, Messner and Rosenfeld's Institutional-Anomie theory. Explicating In...
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| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2002
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| In: |
The British journal of criminology
Year: 2002, Volume: 42, Issue: 4, Pages: 729-742 |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Summary: | The last decade has seen a revived interest in using anomie theory in crime and deviance research. The present paper contributes to this development by offering an examination of a particular extension of anomie theory, namely, Messner and Rosenfeld's Institutional-Anomie theory. Explicating Institutional-Anomie theory relative to the sociologies of Durkheim, Merton and Polanyi, I find that this theory goes beyond Merton by using a strain of thought that is critical of liberal society. By bringing in the notion of the disembedded market economy, a central notion in the institutionalism of Polanyi and Durkheim, this theory links crime, anomie, and contemporary social change. I also discuss some of the limitations of linking crime with societal level processes in a Durkheimian rather than Mertonian manner |
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| ISSN: | 0007-0955 |
