Mirror Sites:
CSUDH - Habermas - UWP - Archives

California State University, Dominguez Hills
University of Wisconsin, Parkside
Soka University Japan - Transcend Art and Peace
Created: September 15, 2000
Latest update: August 31, 2000
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

Crime as Disrespect and "Knowingness"

Site Copyright: Jeanne Curran and Susan R. Takata and Individual Authors, August 2003.
"Fair use" encouraged.

On Friday, September 5, 2000, Donna Maria Woods, CSUDH, wrote:

Hi Jeanne,

I understand that constitutive criminology is redefining crime as "the harm resulting from humans investing energy in harm-producing relations of power." ; crimes of disrespect. I see how this relates to elitism and arrogance not being appropriate to knowledge and truth. If I assume that I have special knowledge due to my status then I can oppress (disrespect) another through my "knowingness."

Donna

On Friday, September 15, jeanne responded:

Yes, Donna. Good rephrasing of Henry and Milovanovic. To the extent that we can agree that "disrespecting" human life results in harm to others, then disrespecting others is criminal. We'll go into more detail on "disrespect" later. And "knowingness" does contribute to disrespecting others. If we privilege our knowledge as superior and as bestowing on us the right to make decisions for others, without including them effectively in the process, then we are usurping the power of others, and that is criminal according to Henry and Milovanovic's definition of criminal.

Personally, I think is a very workable definition of crime for the twenty-first century.

love and peace, jeanne