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Theorizing fear of crime

Beyond the Rational/Irrational Opposition

Bibliographic Data

ID2139154
AuthorsD Lupton (0000-0003-2658-4430, corresponding author), John Tulloch Deborah Lupton, John Tulloch (0000-0003-2150-0090)
Year1999
Volume50
Issue3
Pages507-523
Publication date1999-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Journal of Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-1315 • E-ISSN: 1468-4446
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1468-4446.1999.00507.x
PMID15259198
OpenAlexW2144328857
LanguageEN
Citations received58
References cited17

Much has been written about the ‘social problem’ of fear of crime in the criminological and sociological literature in recent years. We would argue that thus far in this literature, however, there has been too much emphasis on the question ‘How rational is people's fear of crime?’, a question that largely reduces the complexity of the phenomenon and positions a ‘biased’ lay response against an ‘expert’ objective judgment. In this article, we review different epistemological perspectives that can be offered to understand in greater depth the fear of crime phenomenon. We place particular emphasis on those hermeneutic perspectives that go beyond the models of the rationalist, individualistic subject to exploring issues of symbolic representation, discourse and the micro ‐ and macro‐contexts in which fear of crime is experienced and given meaning. We also draw upon two case studies from our own empirical research into fear of crime, conducted with the intention of exploring the situated narratives, cultural representations and different levels of symbolic meaning that contribute to the dynamic constitution of fear

Constitution · Criminology · Economics · Epistemology · Fear of crime · Individualism · Irrational number · Linguistics · Meaning (existential · Narrative · Opposition (politics · Phenomenon · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Situated · Sociology · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Crime, Deviance, and Social Control · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Law · Mathematics · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology · Wildlife Conservation and Criminology Analyses

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Unique citing works57
Citations per year2,32
Citation span2001 - 2026 (26)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 57
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