Randall Collins’ micro-sociology, the Southern culture of honor, and the codes of violence pathway: Toward a general theory of violence

Abstract

One of Randall Collins' principal theoretical projects is the advancement of a general theory of violence. The central framing mechanism driving Collins approach is the concept of confrontational tension/fear, and the various pathways a social actor might utilize to overcome its debilitating effects. Collins' approach successfully accounts for violence on a micro-situational level but struggles with macro-level variance in rates of violence, such as higher incidents of violence in cultures of honor. Since a general theory must account for violence on multiple conceptual levels, Collins' pathways around confrontational tension/fear need further development to establish those macro-cultural connections necessary for continued theoretical advancement. To that end, I suggest his micro-sociological theory of violence can bridge with cultures of honor by incorporating the seminal work of Elijah Anderson's code of the street into a “codes of violence pathway.” This “codes of violence pathway” expands the theoretical purchase of Collins' approach by reasserting the importance of sociological influences on individual behavior in situated action and, therefore, provides a mechanism to ground micro-behavior in a macro-cultural context.