|
Showing 1 - 1 of
1 matches in All Departments
Is Iceland, universally perceived as a peaceful, idyllic nation,
being threatened by an inevitable flood of crime as it enters the
global community? In recent decades the Icelandic state has taken
serious steps to curb mounting crime, establishing a specialized
drug court and an undercover drug police agency. Public opinion
polls clearly demonstrate Icelanders' growing concern that crime
and drug use are on the rise. In their provocative new book,
Wayward Icelanders, Helgi Gunnlaugsson and John Galliher offer
another, more nuanced explanation for recent Icelandic attitudes
toward crime, one that takes into account the unique history and
culture of this relatively homogeneous and isolated nation.
Wayward Icelanders explores how the threat of crime has affected
Icelanders' collective self-identity, producing an ever greater
need for social control. Historically Iceland has provided stiff
sanctions for the use and abuse of mind-altering substances. Drunk
driving has long been systematically punished, and even beer was
prohibited for more than seventy years. The rate of conviction for
these crimes is high, even in a democracy that prides itself on
protecting civil liberties. Even more troubling, however, is the
low rate of convictions for rape cases, which suggests that such
crimes receive less attention from the state. Drawing on the
classic work of Durkheim as well as Kai Erikson's "Wayward
Puritans," Gunnlaugsson and Galliher demonstrate that an escalating
war on crime can threaten freedom even in a small, affluent, and
relatively nonviolent nation like Iceland with a long-standing
commitment to democracy and individual rights.
|
You may like...
Loot
Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
(2)
R398
R330
Discovery Miles 3 300
|
Email address subscribed successfully.
A activation email has been sent to you.
Please click the link in that email to activate your subscription.