Civil Society and Crisis: Culture, Discourse, and the Rodney King Beating

Jacobs, Ronald N.

doi:10.1086/230822

Cited by 202 publications

(136 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…There are numerous approaches to the ways that people construct reality in the public sphere, for example, narratives (Somers 1994;Jacobs 1996;Maines 2001), discursive repertoires (Steinberg 1999), critical discourse analysis (van Dijk 1992). This study operates in the Goffmanian tradition of frame analysis.…”

Section: Laminations Of Acknowledgementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Confronting Institutional Discrimination in a Color-Blind World

Silva¹,

Gillmann²,

Tate³

2018

QSR

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This article builds on the scholarship on color-blind ideology by examining discourse challenging two cases of institutional discrimination (the criminalization of unauthorized immigrants and sports teams’ use of Native American symbolism). Our research questions are first, what general options do anti-racists have for navigating norms of color-blindness in the public sphere? Second, how does context influence how people confront institutional discrimination? Based on an ethnographic content analysis of 165 letters to the editor published in American newspapers, we find that opponents of institutional discrimination have the choice of addressing one of four laminations. In each lamination, authors acknowledge framings of racial discrimination that are unacknowledged in previous ones. In the abstraction lamination, authors do not recognize race and ethnicity. In the pigmentation lamination, authors identify race and ethnicity, but not discrimination. Authors in the discrimination lamination acknowledge the practice is harmful to a particular racial or ethnic group, and the contextualization lamination lends added dimensionality to the discourse. A comparison of the laminations of pro-immigrant and anti-mascot letters demonstrates varying willingness to acknowledge racial discrimination. Namely, the pro-immigrant discourse was more color-blind than anti-mascot criticism. We consider the potential causes of these findings and offer suggestions for future research in the conclusion

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Section: Laminations Of Acknowledgementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Confronting Institutional Discrimination in a Color-Blind World

Silva¹,

Gillmann²,

Tate³

2018

QSR

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“…The media are offered "a ritual of normalization in which problems are identified but then handed off to officials to resolve" (Lawrence 2000, p. 113). In terms of narrative analysis, the government's initiatives in setting up a commission and holding trials served to retain a romantic narrativewith the government as hero (Jacobs 1996(Jacobs , p. 1252.…”

Section: Using Official Channelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Among the studies undertaken are assessments of the context of racism and social control (GoodingWilliams 1993a), examination of the discursive practices of professionals, namely the police (Goodwin 1994), narrative analysis of media stories about the beating (Jacobs 1996(Jacobs , 2000, and study of the effects of the beating on public opinion about racial discrimination (Sigelman et al 1997). Here, the King beating is analyzed using an original framework: the dynamics of backfire.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Beating of Rodney King: The Dynamics of Backfire

Martin

2005

Crit Crim

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The 1991 beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police provides rich case material in how an attack perceived as unjust can backfire. Drawing on nonviolence theory, an original framework is developed to analyze attacks as potential backfires that are usually, but not always, inhibited. Attackers can use a variety of methods to inhibit backfires, including covering up the attack, devaluing the target, reinterpreting the events, using official channels, and using intimidation and bribery. Writings on the Rodney King beating include evidence on the use of each of these methods. Studying the backfire process offers improved understanding on how to oppose unjust attacks. _______________________

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“…L'intérêt croissant pour les théories sur les récits et les genres laisse penser que ces sujets pourraient devenir une force décisive dans le second souffle de la sociologie. Des sociologues culturels comme Robin Wagner-Pacifici et Barry Schwartz (1991), Margaret Somers (1995), Wendy Griswold (1983), Ronald Jacobs (1996 ainsi que les auteurs de cet article lisent aujourd'hui des théoriciens littéraires comme Northrop Frye et Frederic Jameson, des historiens comme Hayden White et des philosophes aristotéliciens comme Ricoeur et MacIntyre. Cet attrait s'explique en partie par une affinité entre ces théories et une compréhension textuelle de la vie sociale.…”

Section: Vers Un Programme Fortunclassified