Dados is one of the most widely-read social sciences journals in Latin America. Created in 1966, it publishes innovative works, originating from academic research, by Brazilian and foreign authors. Edited by IESP-UERJ, it aims to reconcile scientific rigor and academic excellence with an emphasis on public debate based on the analysis of substantive issues of society and politics.
Dados vol. 55 n. 2 Rio de Janeiro 2012
Abstract
There is a need to include dimensions other than poverty to explain the alarming increase in violent crime among young Brazilian males beginning in the late 1970s, the author highlights that poverty should not be taken as the (economic) determination of crime in a determinist approach by objectivist sociology that considers causality in a single direction, excluding subjectivity and indetermination. Working with the model of complexity, she reconstructs part of the larger debate on the rise in crime and violence in the city of Rio de Janeiro. She points to new theories that could shed light on the hottest issues in this debate, such as the theory of subjective formation in the warrior ethos (Norbert Elias), informalization (Cas Wouters), and the ecological theories focusing more on the idea of social disorganization, but seeking the vulnerabilities and inconsistencies in the socialization processes for youth in the family and neighborhoods, taking into account the various forms of neighborhood association, the governmental and nongovernmental organizations working in these neighborhoods, and the supply of public services to educate and serve young people.
Keywords: poverty, warrior ethos, dominated territories, collective efficacy, participation, neighborhood associations
DOI: 10.1590/S0011-52582012000200003
Violent youth: process, relapses, and new approaches
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