KRM320 QUARTER 4 TEST NOTES SUMMARISED
CONTEMPORARY CRIMINOLOGY ISSUES
STUDY UNIT 1: THE RISK SOCIETY
Introduction (beck, giddens & hasan articles):
- The world is seen as a dangerous place, and we try to protect ourselves from risks.
- Beck, Giddens, and others explain the concept of the risk society, how it organizes in response to
risks.
- In the past, risks were mainly seen as acts of God or just part of life.
- Western explorers introduced the idea of risk when they explored and tried to control the world.
- Today, we worry more about what we do to nature than what nature can do to us.
Definitions:
- Beck defines risk as the anticipation of catastrophes.
- Giddens describes a society focused on the future and safety, generating the idea of risk.
- Responsibility is linked to risk, especially with new technologies and scientific knowledge.
- Risk in the risk society is a systematic way to deal with hazards and insecurities.
- New concepts introduced in modern society: actuarial thinking and actuarial criminology.
How Society Changed from the Middle Ages to Date:
- In the Middle Ages, religion shaped how people saw the future. Modernization led to a shift away
from religious explanations.
- Modernity brought the distinction between dangers, risks, and manufactured uncertainties.
- Risks are about anticipating catastrophes, and they have political and social consequences.
- Risks have become globalized, with causes and consequences extending across borders.
- Some risks are incalculable and non-compensable, like climate change and terrorism.
- Modern risks are social constructs and depend on collective perceptions and shared experiences.
- Mass media and technology have transformed how we understand and communicate risks.
Reading: Risk and Responsibility - Anthony Giddens:
- "Organized irresponsibility" creates complexity in assessing responsibility.
- The precautionary principle suggests acting on risks even with scientific uncertainty.
- Manufactured risks blur the lines between collective and individual responsibility.
- The welfare state faces challenges in managing new forms of risk.
- In societies with organized irresponsibility, a litigious society can emerge.
- Risk is not just linked to responsibility but also to initiative and exploration.
Reading: Techno-environmental risks and ecological modernisation - Md Nazmul Hasan:
- Examples of "double-risk" societies: Sirajganj, Bangladesh, and the shipbreaking industry.
- Impact of techno-environmental risks on these societies, including disability and environmental
damage.
- Challenges and problems faced by "double-risk" societies.
- Rise of environmental movements and sub-politics in response to risks.
- Challenges and potential limitations of environmental modernization theory.
, - Proposal to unify the risk society thesis and environmental modernization theory for studying
techno-environmental risks.
- Acknowledgment of the uniqueness of each country's experiences and the need for further study
on these topics.
Overview of Risk Society (Beck, Giddens, Hasan, Lecture, Class Discussion, and Own Reading):
Ulrich Beck:
- Beck defines risk society as the accumulation of various risks (ecological, terrorist, military,
financial, biomedical, informational) that dominate the world today.
- Risks are not real events but rather anticipations of catastrophic events.
- There are three possible reactions to risk: denial (inability to accept reality), apathy (lack of
interest), and transformation (how risks change perceptions, living conditions, and institutions).
- Denial is a prevalent response in modern culture.
- The social construction of risk anticipation can become a political force that transforms the world.
- The potential for catastrophe in risk society leads to a reflexive orientation, where new
technologies are subjected to increased scientific scrutiny and public criticism.
- Risk refers to a future that can be made knowable through measurement, allowing for rational
decision-making.
- Beck argues that risk distribution is a result of knowledge, not wealth, as even the wealthy can't
avert risks if they are unaware of them.
- Globalization has made risk a global, rather than just a personal, issue with global consequences.
- Modernity is not ending but evolving, with social ties and connections now established and
maintained by individuals themselves.
- Moral panics often arise, characterized by widespread irrational fear of a threat to societal values
and safety.
Anthony Giddens:
- Giddens agrees with Beck about the preoccupation with risk in modern society.
- He emphasizes the calculated nature of manufactured risks, with a focus on reducing risk through
preventative measures.
- Giddens sees older forms of class structure playing a stronger role in risk society, connected to
access to self-actualization and empowerment.
- He views risk as needing discipline but also recognizes that active risk-taking is a core element of a
dynamic economy and innovative society.
- Giddens identifies two types of modernity: first modernity, characterized by industrialization, and
second modernity, where society deals more with risk and less with power and wealth distribution.
Md Nazmul Hasan:
- Hasan introduces the concept of a "double-risk" society, where countries in the global South
confront environmental and technological risks before reaching post-industrial status.
- "Double-risk" societies struggle with basic material needs, heightened social anxiety, and high-
consequence techno-environmental risks.
- Global capitalism and the relocation of resource-intensive industries contribute to the rise of
"double-risk" societies.
