This study examines the underlying causes of the 2011 England Riots. In order to do so, it proceeds in six steps. The introduction, which lays out the design, merits and limitations of this study, is followed by a brief description of the 2011 England Riots. This description demonstrates that the recent disorders in Britain are a prime example of rioting, and as such pose a perfect test for existing theories which try to explain the occurrence of collective violence. The third section consists of a review of the scholarly literature on the causes of rioting. This review reveals that the single most prominent explanation of collective violence has been relative deprivation theory, which therefore serves as a basis for deriving the hypotheses of this paper. T
he fourth section lays out the methodology of this study; in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the unrest and its underlying causes, a dual approach is employed: this paper analyzes both the socioeconomic structure of the neighborhoods in which the riots occurred as well as the background of the rioters that were arrested. The results yielded by this approach are presented in the fifth section. The findings strongly support relative deprivation theory; however, some of the alternative explanations controlled for in this study also seem to have played an important role in the occurrence of the 2011 England riots. This shows that collective violence is a multi-causal phenomenon, one that cannot be sufficiently grasped by resorting to a single explanation. The sixth and final section summarizes the main findings of this study, connects them with the broader theoretical debate and indicates the direction for further research on this topic.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- The 2011 England Riots: Sequence of Events
- Literature Review: The Causes of Rioting
- Methodology: An Integrated Approach
- Results: Examining the Correlates of the 2011 England Riots
- Discussion: The Role of Relative Deprivation in Explaining Collective Violence
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This study aims to analyze the underlying causes of the 2011 England Riots by employing an integrated approach that examines both the socioeconomic structure of the affected neighborhoods and the backgrounds of the arrested rioters. The paper explores the relevance of relative deprivation theory in explaining collective violence and evaluates its explanatory power in relation to the specific events of 2011.
- The role of relative deprivation theory in explaining collective violence
- The socioeconomic factors contributing to the riots
- The impact of social structure on deviant behavior and unrest
- The relationship between police actions and public unrest
- The multicausality of collective violence
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This section introduces the study and its objectives, outlining the design, merits, and limitations of the research. It also provides a brief overview of the 2011 England Riots and their significance as a case study for understanding collective violence.
- The 2011 England Riots: Sequence of Events: This chapter presents a detailed chronology of the events leading up to and during the 2011 England Riots, highlighting the key incidents, the spread of violence, and the responses of authorities.
- Literature Review: The Causes of Rioting: This section delves into the scholarly literature on the causes of rioting, focusing on the prominence of relative deprivation theory as the dominant explanatory framework. It defines relative deprivation and discusses its theoretical underpinnings within the context of social structure and deviant behavior.
- Methodology: An Integrated Approach: This chapter outlines the methodology employed in the study, which involves a dual approach of analyzing both the socioeconomic structure of the affected neighborhoods and the backgrounds of the arrested rioters.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The core keywords and focus topics of this study include: collective violence, relative deprivation, socioeconomic structure, 2011 England Riots, rioting, social unrest, deviant behavior, police actions, social deprivation, gang culture, and criminal opportunism.
- Quote paper
- Michael Neureiter (Author), 2011, Collective Violence and Relative Deprivation Theory. Examining the Correlates of the 2011 England Riots, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/962205
