Deciphering Violence
The Cognitive Structure of Right and Wrong
1st Edition
Published on 11. June 1998
Book
Paperback/Softback
202 pages
978-0-415-91799-5 (ISBN)
Description
In the current information age, Americans are bombarded daily with stories and images portraying a rising tide of violence. Drawing on media that includes television, newspaper, fiction, film, painting and photography, as well as interviews and focus groups, Karen Cerulo explores the ways in which individuals think about, depict and evaluate violence. Moving beyond typical studies that focus on violent story content, Deciphering Violence decodes the role of story structure itself and how the sequencing of facts can systematically influence our moral judgements of violent acts. The book identifies institutionalized forms of violent storytelling and raises new possibilities both for decreasing public tolerance of violence and increasing social control of the phenomenon.
Reviews / Votes
"Deciphering Violence ex-plicates the language of violence in American culture, revealing the conventions that journalists and artists use to tell stories about violence, and explaining how these storytelling conventions influence the impact of violent images on the viewers who are exposed to them. Professor Cerulo has given us a creative and insightful work of scholarship." -- Paul Dimaggio, Princeton University"In addition to academic readers ranging from upper-division undergraduates through faculty, the audience for this book will include television professionals, parents, religious leaders, lawyers, and designers of video games. Excellent bibliography." -- Choice
"How is that narratives of violence fascinate as they repel? Karen Cerulo tells the story of violence with the inventiveness, the theoretical acuity, and the common sense and grace that make her intellectual agenda so compelling and her work unique. Activists and practitioners as well as theorists, will thank her for Deciphering Violence." -- Magali Sarfatti Larson
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Weight
304 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-415-91799-5 (9780415917995)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
04/2023
1st Edition
Routledge
€41.99
Available for download
E-Book
04/2023
1st Edition
Routledge
€41.99
Available for download
Book
07/1998
Routledge
€126.28
Article exhausted; check different version
Person
Karen A. Cerulo is Associate Profess of Sociology at Rutgers University. She is author of Identity Designs:The Sights and Sounds of a Nation (1996) and co-author of Second Thoughts: Seeing Conventional Wisdom Through theSociological Eye (1997).
Content
CHAPTER ONE New Thoughts on Violence Violence, Sequencing, and Meaning Implications of the Study Outline of the Book Conclusion CHAPTER TWO Deciphering Violence Violence: The Identification Dilemma Beyond Identity Qualifiers Conclusion CHAPTER THREE The Cognitive Order of Right and Wrong Sequencing Right and Wrong Sequencing Ambiguous Violence Beyond the News Seeing Right, Wrong, and Undecided Conclusion CHAPTER FOUR Institutionalizing Right, Wrong, and Undecided By the Book: Lessons on Storytelling Sequence Conventions in Broader Social Context Conclusion CHAPTER FIVE Audience Readings of Violence Tapping the Subject's Voice Findings Conclusion CHAPTER SIX Practical Applications and Scholarly Implications Reviewing the Findings Sequencing and the Fight Against Violence Sequencing and Media Objectivity Sequencing and the Scholarly Study of Meaning Conclusion