Violence as unresponsiveness: Toward a new conception of crime

Pepinsky, Harold E.

doi:10.1080/07418828800089881

Cited by 21 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Riane Eisler (1987) presents a feminist interpretation of archeological evidence indicating that advanced civilizations like the Minoans where women and men shared power prevailed in Europe until just several thousand years ago, while other archeologists tell us we all are descended from one African woman who lived 200,000 years ago. It is also true that our dominant political culture will probably not change noticeably at least for generations to come, especially in militarized states (see chapter 3 on "societal rhythms in the chaos of violence" in Pepinsky, 1991). Nonetheless the patriarchal nation state is an institution people can do without and have done without, and loyalty to the nation state is a primary impediment to achieving independence anywhere, for Tanzanians included.…”

Section: An Academic Parable Of the Paradox Of Achieving Independencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a society outside the palace, Tanzanians also have no experience of the kind of power over others that allows one's violence to be genteel and clandestine. Indirect violence drives those who lack the power to respond in kind to resort to direct violence, and everyone tends to dump downward so that the boss fires the man who beats his wife who pummles the child who hits the smaller child who kicks the cat (the "lightning rod effect" of violence as described in Pepinsky, 1988).…”

Section: The Childrenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The climate changed profoundly with little conscious effort, as violence and domination largely disappeared. Part of the magic, I surmise, was our making music together (a classic metaphor and means for making peace; Pepinsky, 1991), but the very directness of the children and their youthful responsiveness considerably facilitated the change.…”

Section: The Childrenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…After a return to Norway in 1986 taught me to recognize democratic accountability more clearly, I began to notice that democratization of life is occurring across the face of the United States in many places and in many ways, as in worker cooperative movements, alternative schools, mediation programs, peace churches and peace movements (as chronicled in Pepinsky, 1991). In Tanzania I saw the same -subversion of the dominant political culture against all odds across the face of the country.…”

Section: Beyond Corruptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Corruption, bribery and patriarchy in Tanzania

Pepinsky

1992

Crime Law Soc Change

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This is an ethnography of the political culture of Tanzania as compared to the political culture of the United States. Endemic and harmful corruption among the political leadership of Tanzania and the United States alike stems from widespread popular equation of order with patriarchy, made worse by extending the logic of patriarchy to belief that social order and welfare rest on the strength of the nation state. The Tanzanian war on corruption and ensuing shutdown of the University of Dares Salaam during the first half of 1990 affirm the radical feminist premise that the models of legitimacy we apply in the privacy of our families are identical to and inseparable from the models of legitimacy employeed domestically and internationally by our political leaders. Corruption and other violence are more directly expressed in Tanzania and more indirectly expressed by Americans who as a consequence are more enslaved to corruption and violence than Tanzanians. The contrast in Tanzanian and U.S. political cultures and the nature of patriarchy itself leads to a set of paradoxes about achieving freedom from corruption through exercise of patriarchal state power -as that children who are the ultimate victims of corruption are at once most blamed by adults, more responsive to change than adults, and unable to change as long as they remain the subjects of patriarchal discipline. Bribery is not necessarily a part of the problem of corruption but is a part of the solution. Freedom from corruption basically requires democratic accountability. Tanzanians and Americans are linked symbiotically: neither people can free themselves from corruption without before the other. There is no logical starting point for a patriarchal approach to freeing people from corruption. On the other hand radically effective emancipation from corruption is occurring across Tanzania and the United States.

show abstract

Section: An Academic Parable Of the Paradox Of Achieving Independencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Childrenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Childrenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Beyond Corruptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Corruption, bribery and patriarchy in Tanzania

Pepinsky

1992

Crime Law Soc Change

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For example, Liazos (1972, p. 111) defined violence in terms of the violation of an individual: ''In violence, a person is violated-there is harm done to his person, his psyche, his body, his dignity, his ability to govern himself… Seen in this way, a person can be violated in many ways; physical force is only one of them.'' 2 In one of the more creative and interesting conceptualizations, Pepinsky (1988Pepinsky ( , 1991 described violence as a form of ''unresponsiveness,'' a failure to adjust ''what one expects to achieve by one's action…to accommodate the experience and feelings of those affected by one's actions. '' 3 In this article, we apply a broad conception of violence and accept the contention that an act is violent if it violates one or more individuals-that is, if it causes harm to an individual or group.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%