SSPS Research Seminar – The Code of Violence

The School of Social and Political Sciences is pleased to invite you to the next SSPS research seminar. The talk will be given by Dr Anthony Ellis, Associate Professor in Criminology.

Title: The ‘Code’ of Violence: Enduring? Changing? Ending?

Time and Location: 1pm – 2pm on Wednesday 27 November 2024 in MB0312

Abstract – The notion of a ‘code’ of violence, might, on initial reflection, seem oxymoronic. Where violence is present, it is often assumed, order and self-control are absent. Furthermore, interpersonal violence is routinely regarded as ‘senseless’, suggesting, by implication, that there exists some commonly-agreed upon limits or rules to the use of violence that one should observe and follow. Researchers who have gotten close to those men submerged in violent (sub) cultures have documented the complex moral and ethical injunctions that these individuals often claim structure their use of violence and serve to informally govern its use. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for men prepared to use violence to claim these codified frameworks are changing or are becoming obsolete, as if there once existed a ‘golden era’ in which they could have faith that others would abide by this informal cultural ‘code’. In this talk, I reflect upon these issues, drawing upon ethnographic data that seeks to make sense of informal cultural rules surrounding the use of violence and how violent men engage with these.

Story submitted by Xinchuchu Gao
xingao@lincoln.ac.uk