Political culture, xenophobia and the development of the violence of the radical right in the Federal Republic of Germany
Recently an increasing amount of violent racism has been directed at foreigners in Germany. Current theoretical explanations are deficient because they fail to recognize the historical role of the political culture. This paper argues that political elites are responsible for initiating rhetoric and...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1995
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| In: |
Crime, law and social change
Year: 1995, Volume: 24, Issue: 1, Pages: 37-47 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Keywords: |
| Summary: | Recently an increasing amount of violent racism has been directed at foreigners in Germany. Current theoretical explanations are deficient because they fail to recognize the historical role of the political culture. This paper argues that political elites are responsible for initiating rhetoric and policy that has created an environment where xenophobic and racist violence can flourish. "Positive normalization" is defined as a process for the neutralization of the violent Nazi past and the reconstruction of a German nationalist identity. "Negative normalization" is described as responsible for the decriminalization and trivialization of xenophobic and racist violence. It is argued that unless changes within the German political culture are taken into account, criminological perspectives on the current situation will inevitably be limited. |
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| Item Description: | Literaturverzeichnis. Seite 47 |
| ISSN: | 1573-0751 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/BF01297656 |