Clinical Sociology and Moral Hegemony
- 1 University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway
Abstract
The article presents a critique of a dominant way of analysing gang conflict in Norwegian sociology. The research in question uses a rather crude Marxist analysis that could somehow fit any gang conflict in the country. However, this kind of analysis was gradually put in question first by professor Ottar Brox and his criticism of the moral hegemony by a group of Marxists gathered around the publication “Klassekampen” (“Class Struggle”). Then the analysis was challenged by gang-researchers who reached back to the classical study of Frederic M. Thrasher, finding the latter more fruitful for analysis. Antonio Gramsci (1891- 1937) who coined the term cultural hegemony used it to describe how a social class can manipulate the system of values in a society to establish a ruling class world-view. In my context the term moral hegemony is used to show how an intellectual group came to dominate the discourse on relations between Norwegians and immigrants, labelling other views as “racist”.
- Anderson, N. (1961). The hobo: The sociology of the homeless man. Chicago.
- Brox, O. (1991). Jeg er ikke rasist, men…, Oslo.
- Bulmer, M. (1984). Institutionalization, diversity, and the rise of sociological research. Chicago and London: The Chicago School of Sociology.
- Bjorgo, T., & Yngve, C. (1999). Vold, rasisme og ungdomsgjenger. (“Violence, Racism and Youth Gangs”), Oslo.
- Bjorgo, T., Yngve, C., & Thomas, H. (2001). Generalisert hat—Polariserte fellesskap. (“Generalized Hatred—Polarized Communities”), Oslo.
- Carlsson, Y., & Thomas, H. (2004). Voldelige ungdomsgrupper—intervensjon pa kommuneniva (“Violent Youth Groups—Intervention on the Local Level”), Oslo.
- Coser, L. A. (1977). Masters of sociological thought (Chapters on Robert Ezra Park and William I. Thomas and Florian Znaniecki). New York.
- Cressey, P. G. (1968). New York: The taxi-dance hall: A sociological study in commercialized recreation and city life.
- Dobson, D. W. (1962). Frederic milton thrasher 1892-1962. American Sociological Review, 27, 580-581.
- Fangen, K. (1995). Skinheads i rodt, hvitt og blatt (“Skinheads in Red, White and Blue”), Oslo.
- Eidheim, F. (1993). Hva har skjedd I Brummundal:Lokalsamfunnet i mote med de fremmede og seg selv (“What has Happened in Brummunddal—the Local Community meeting Strangers and Themselves”), Oslo.
- Faris, R. E. (1970). Chicago sociology. 1920 1932. Chicago and London.
- Frones, I., & Lise, K. (2003). Det norske samfunn (“Norwegian Society”), Oslo.
- Larsen, G. (1992). Brodre. Aereskamp og hjemloshet blant innvandringens ungdom. Oslo.
- Thrasher, F. M. (1963). The gang. A study of 1313 gangs in Chicago. Abridged with a new introduction by J. F. Short Jr. Chicago and London.
- Sand, H. P. (1997). Ungdom I sentrum (“Youngsters in the City Center”), Kristiansand kommune (‘Kristiansand Municipality’), Kristiansand.
- Sand, H. P. (2006). Challenges in dealing with different interests between organized and unorganized youth. Journal of Comparative Social Work, 2006/1. Department of Social Sciences, Bodo University College.
- Shaw, C. R. (1966). The jack-roller: A delinquent boy’s own story/Chicago.