Stories of Violence: a Narrative Criminological Study of Ambiguity

Violence features in human life, not only as actual physical confrontation but also as stories. Stories of violence are particularly important in violence-prone subcultures and among those partaking in the illegal drug economy. Drawing on narrative analysis, this study examines stories of violence a...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Sandberg, Sveinung 1977- (Author)
Contributors: Copes, Heith 1970- (Author) ; Tutenges, Sébastien
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2015
In: The British journal of criminology
Year: 2015, Volume: 55, Issue: 6, Pages: 1168-1186
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
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Keywords:
Violence
Drug dealers
Narrative
Story
Narrative criminology
Ambiguity
Description
Summary:Violence features in human life, not only as actual physical confrontation but also as stories. Stories of violence are particularly important in violence-prone subcultures and among those partaking in the illegal drug economy. Drawing on narrative analysis, this study examines stories of violence among a population of incarcerated Norwegian drug dealers. Four widespread story types are identified: business narratives, intimidation narratives, moral narratives and survivor narratives. We explore the content of these stories and the work they do for tellers while keeping a keen eye on their ambiguous nature. We argue that stories and storytellers plurivocality is often missed when stories of violence are described within established criminological traditions.
ISSN:1464-3529
DOI:10.1093/bjc/azv032