RT Article
T1 Elias, ultra-realism and double-binds: Violence in the streets and the state
JF European journal of criminology
VO 19
IS 6
SP 1367
OP 1385
A1 Clement, Matt
A2 Mennell, Stephen
LA English
YR 2022
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1839929200
AB ?Ultra-realism? has become an influential current in criminology, especially in the study of violence and explanations of trends in violent crime. Ultra-realist writers frequently make use of Norbert Elias?s theory of civilizing processes, while also often expressing reservations about his ideas. In this article, we argue that ultra-realists tend to make only partial and inaccurate use of Elias?s very extensive writings. Although he himself did not write very much about crime ? and indeed was less concerned with violence per se than with the roots of aggressive impulses and their control ? we place him in the context of the post-war sociology of deviance. We argue in particular that it is far from true that he was blind to political economy, since the state-formation processes are central to his theory. We relate our argument to double-bind processes, violent subcultures, moral panics, populism and recent political developments in Britain.
K1 Elias
K1 state formation
K1 double-binds
K1 ultra-realism
K1 Violence
DO 10.1177/1477370820977889