Danger, blame, and hostility

Henrique Carvalho

Chapter 28 in Research Handbook on Penal Policy, 2026, pp 524-540 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Chapter 28 explores the value of a cultural approach to penality, arguing that punishment is a culturally constructed phenomenon embedded in broader struggles over meaning and social order. Building on existing scholarship, it proposes a conceptual framework for analyzing key elements of the cultural structure of penality in advanced liberal societies. After outlining the theoretical premises and defining key terms, the chapter identifies three structural aspects: the cultural construction of danger (‘dangerization’), the formation of blaming patterns tied to penal practices, and the role of punishment in maintaining exclusionary forms of social solidarity. It concludes by reflecting on the implications of this framework for the study of penality.

Keywords: Civil order; Patterns of blaming; Structures of feeling; Punishment; Penal policy; Criminalization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035308521
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