Abstract
AbstractThe paper aims at providing an overview of hate crimes through an interdisciplinary lens based not only on theories but also empirical research results. The paper first deals with the central components of hate crimes: prejudice and aggression. Not only the classical social-psychological theories of these phenomena are discussed but also some newer ones. As hate crimes do not occur in a vacuum, the next chapter of the paper deals with the social, political, cultural context and factors that facilitate or impede the occurrence of hate crimes. Community disorganization, urban ecology, racial balance, residential stability, economic conditions, and the role of the media and the internet are discussed in detail. The last chapter of the paper deals with the perpetrators of hate crimes, let them be lonely ones or members of organized hate groups. The paper demonstrates that the investigation of hate crimes can only occur in an interdisciplinary setting that can simultaneously take into account legal, social, cultural, and political factors.
Highlights
Many attempts have been made to define hate crimes
The paper aims at providing an overview of hate crimes through an interdisciplinary lens based on theories and empirical research results
The paper demonstrates that the investigation of hate crimes can only occur in an interdisciplinary setting that can simultaneously take into account legal, social, cultural, and political factors
Summary
Many attempts have been made to define hate crimes. Jacob and Potter argue that the amount of hate crime and the appropriate response depends on how hate crime is defined and conceptualized.. Many definitions emphasize prejudice, stating that ‘hate crime is criminal conduct motivated by prejudice’.2. Chakraborti and Garland emphasize that ‘the pivotal characteristic of a hate crime is the group affiliation of the victim, and not the presence of hate on the part of the perpetrator’.3. There have been definitions that emphasized ‘the imbalance of power between the perpetrator and the victim’.4. Besides defining what hate crime is, its social, cultural, and political context needs to be considered, as ‘[i]t does not occur in a cultural or social vacuum’.5 Jacob and Potter argue that the amount of hate crime and the appropriate response depends on how hate crime is defined and conceptualized. Many definitions emphasize prejudice, stating that ‘hate crime is criminal conduct motivated by prejudice’.2 Chakraborti and Garland emphasize that ‘the pivotal characteristic of a hate crime is the group affiliation of the victim, and not the presence of hate on the part of the perpetrator’.3 There have been definitions that emphasized ‘the imbalance of power between the perpetrator and the victim’.4 Besides defining what hate crime is, its social, cultural, and political context needs to be considered, as ‘[i]t does not occur in a cultural or social vacuum’.5
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