Modern Folk Devils: Contemporary Constructions of Evil
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In anthropological, sociological and humanistic theories, the mechanism of the ‘scapegoat’ is a well known phenomenon, but one still worth exploring in many cultural contexts. Modern Folk Devils represents an important collection of analytic texts on the topic of moral panics, scapegoating, and internal and external ‘otherness’ threats constructed by different societies, cultures and communities. The chapters in this book seek to contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of cultural and political circumstances for a broader understanding of modern folk devil phenomena.
‘Devils Within’ (the first part of the book) deals with the construction of ideas about the ‘internal figure’, for example ‘hipsters’ as a consequence of class relations, politics and gentrification in London, where the media has played a key role in constructing the ideas that caused the moral panic. There is also the case of fear of alleged sorcery in Vanuatu, where moral panic did not originate with the help... of mass media, but through the dreams, visions and gossip of residents of local communities in crisis. A case of moral panic in Georgia was focused on the hybridisation of traditional motives, such as goblins, represented as human-looking but destructive internal figures, in the modern context narratives (due to the social and political crisis). In the last chapter in this section, sugar is labelled a threat to the health and social functionality of Danish youth. Sugar, like most devils, is an entity with a tradition of presence in a community that recognises it as a social menace. These chapters contribute to a deeper understanding of the relationship between tradition and modernity, as well as the circumstances that create the image of local devils as a source of social crisis.
The second part of the book, ‘Devilry from Above’, examines the institutional and media construction of (political) demons as a threat from outside (beyond state borders) and above (in terms of class relations). Politics, media, sensationalism and fake news are recognised as catalysts that create and spread ‘community’ (or ‘nation’) ideas of threat, as part of moral panics and desirable forms of social discipline construction. For example, scapegoating was a part of Donald Trump's political strategy, but also that of his opposition – a moral panic constructed and emphasised through social networks by exploiting existing stereotypes about the ‘otherness’ of the LGBT community and feminism; at the same time, these groups are socially marginalised and portrayed as the main cause of the degradation of the ‘traditional family’ in the Czech Republic. The case study about ‘Gypsy child snatchers’ in Italy represents the appropriation of old stereotypes about Romani nomadic culture that were once seen as an obstacle to its inclusion. Today, the majority of Roma do not live a nomadic life, but still represent ‘otherness’ whose inclusion is seen as a threat to Italian society. These examples illustrate the role of media sensationalism, internet groups and political discourses as hubs for the hybridisation of old and new stereotypes and the creation of dominant images of (political) ‘reality’.
The third part of the book, ‘From the Devils’ Point of View’, deals with the conceptual basis of stereotypes, for instance regarding Roma identity in the Czech Republic, where ideas of ‘decency’ or ‘functionality’ are tailored to the standards of the majority as opposed to the marginalised, or migrants seeking asylum in England, who have been represented as ‘devils’ by the media. Lithuanians have been portrayed by the Danish media as the cause of an increase in particularly violent and inhumane criminal behaviour, thus creating not only a (false) image of this ethnic group, but also a climate in which society, motivated by distorted media images, treats Lithuanians as a pest. The case of a person in Sri Lanka who was labelled an adulteress and excommunicated (without evidence) raises questions about the symbolic roles of folk devils in society. This contribution emphasises an appreciation of historical and cultural circumstances, as well as an understanding of the relationships among actors involved in the construction of folk devils.
The authors of this book have dealt with phenomena not only typical of ‘rural’ or ‘traditional’ societies, but also of contemporary, urban and modern ones that, consciously or unconsciously, have constructed images of the internal or external enemy as the cause of social crisis. Several chapters in this book emphasise ideological, class or social position as the background of (political or media) instrumentalisation of devil motives as a threat to society (be it a group, nation or state). Other authors focus on factors of internal dynamics and relationships crucial for the construction of dominant ideas of ‘us’ in contrast to ‘outsiders’, or ‘norm’ versus ‘deviance’. All the chapters represent successful analyses of cases of imagined or real crises, mostly employing emic and in fewer cases etic perspectives. The ontological perspective, as the most methodologically challenging, has imposed itself as perhaps a decisive factor in multidimensional understanding of these phenomena. As someone who studies traditional, modern and hybrid forms of scapegoats, dangerous individuals and spaces, it seems helpful to me to observe the course of events from the perspective of (all) actors in the narratives that societies create as a platform to project or question (their) reality. Unfortunately, since I research vampires, witches and ghosts, the ‘undead’ are often unable to help me, but in cases involving living beings, it has been crucial to understand the social relations and dynamics behind mass hysteria.
Modern Folk Devils is an innovative and valuable set of analytical approaches, rooted in the ideas of Stanley Cohen and his book Folk Devils and Moral Panics (1972), but also the likes of Mary Douglas's Purity and Danger (1966), René Girard's The Scapegoat (1989) and other works whose theoretical approaches have contributed to a better understanding of concepts such as mass hysteria, moral panic, displacement, dangerous spaces and the scapegoating mechanism. This book represents a collection of modern analytical and theoretical works designed to broaden perspectives and achieve a deeper understanding of contemporary cases as reflections of a glocalised, hybrid and constantly changing world – one that still keeps fears of the unknown, embodied in old and new, modern folk devils, alive.
Кључне речи:
modern folk devils / scape goat mechanism / witch / deamon / othernessИзвор:
Anthropological Journal of European Cultures, 2023, 32, 1, 135-137Издавач:
- New York. Oxford : Berghahn Journals
Финансирање / пројекти:
- Министарство науке, технолошког развоја и иновација Републике Србије, институционално финансирање - 200173 (Етнографски институт САНУ, Београд) (RS-MESTD-inst-2020-200173)
URI
https://www.berghahnjournals.com/view/journals/ajec/32/1/ajec.32.issue-1.xmlhttps://dais.sanu.ac.rs/123456789/15604
Институција/група
Етнографски институт САНУ / Institute of Ethnography SASATY - JOUR AU - Trbojević, Danilo PY - 2023 UR - https://www.berghahnjournals.com/view/journals/ajec/32/1/ajec.32.issue-1.xml UR - https://dais.sanu.ac.rs/123456789/15604 AB - In anthropological, sociological and humanistic theories, the mechanism of the ‘scapegoat’ is a well known phenomenon, but one still worth exploring in many cultural contexts. Modern Folk Devils represents an important collection of analytic texts on the topic of moral panics, scapegoating, and internal and external ‘otherness’ threats constructed by different societies, cultures and communities. The chapters in this book seek to contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of cultural and political circumstances for a broader understanding of modern folk devil phenomena. ‘Devils Within’ (the first part of the book) deals with the construction of ideas about the ‘internal figure’, for example ‘hipsters’ as a consequence of class relations, politics and gentrification in London, where the media has played a key role in constructing the ideas that caused the moral panic. There is also the case of fear of alleged sorcery in Vanuatu, where moral panic did not originate with the help of mass media, but through the dreams, visions and gossip of residents of local communities in crisis. A case of moral panic in Georgia was focused on the hybridisation of traditional motives, such as goblins, represented as human-looking but destructive internal figures, in the modern context narratives (due to the social and political crisis). In the last chapter in this section, sugar is labelled a threat to the health and social functionality of Danish youth. Sugar, like most devils, is an entity with a tradition of presence in a community that recognises it as a social menace. These chapters contribute to a deeper understanding of the relationship between tradition and modernity, as well as the circumstances that create the image of local devils as a source of social crisis. The second part of the book, ‘Devilry from Above’, examines the institutional and media construction of (political) demons as a threat from outside (beyond state borders) and above (in terms of class relations). Politics, media, sensationalism and fake news are recognised as catalysts that create and spread ‘community’ (or ‘nation’) ideas of threat, as part of moral panics and desirable forms of social discipline construction. For example, scapegoating was a part of Donald Trump's political strategy, but also that of his opposition – a moral panic constructed and emphasised through social networks by exploiting existing stereotypes about the ‘otherness’ of the LGBT community and feminism; at the same time, these groups are socially marginalised and portrayed as the main cause of the degradation of the ‘traditional family’ in the Czech Republic. The case study about ‘Gypsy child snatchers’ in Italy represents the appropriation of old stereotypes about Romani nomadic culture that were once seen as an obstacle to its inclusion. Today, the majority of Roma do not live a nomadic life, but still represent ‘otherness’ whose inclusion is seen as a threat to Italian society. These examples illustrate the role of media sensationalism, internet groups and political discourses as hubs for the hybridisation of old and new stereotypes and the creation of dominant images of (political) ‘reality’. The third part of the book, ‘From the Devils’ Point of View’, deals with the conceptual basis of stereotypes, for instance regarding Roma identity in the Czech Republic, where ideas of ‘decency’ or ‘functionality’ are tailored to the standards of the majority as opposed to the marginalised, or migrants seeking asylum in England, who have been represented as ‘devils’ by the media. Lithuanians have been portrayed by the Danish media as the cause of an increase in particularly violent and inhumane criminal behaviour, thus creating not only a (false) image of this ethnic group, but also a climate in which society, motivated by distorted media images, treats Lithuanians as a pest. The case of a person in Sri Lanka who was labelled an adulteress and excommunicated (without evidence) raises questions about the symbolic roles of folk devils in society. This contribution emphasises an appreciation of historical and cultural circumstances, as well as an understanding of the relationships among actors involved in the construction of folk devils. The authors of this book have dealt with phenomena not only typical of ‘rural’ or ‘traditional’ societies, but also of contemporary, urban and modern ones that, consciously or unconsciously, have constructed images of the internal or external enemy as the cause of social crisis. Several chapters in this book emphasise ideological, class or social position as the background of (political or media) instrumentalisation of devil motives as a threat to society (be it a group, nation or state). Other authors focus on factors of internal dynamics and relationships crucial for the construction of dominant ideas of ‘us’ in contrast to ‘outsiders’, or ‘norm’ versus ‘deviance’. All the chapters represent successful analyses of cases of imagined or real crises, mostly employing emic and in fewer cases etic perspectives. The ontological perspective, as the most methodologically challenging, has imposed itself as perhaps a decisive factor in multidimensional understanding of these phenomena. As someone who studies traditional, modern and hybrid forms of scapegoats, dangerous individuals and spaces, it seems helpful to me to observe the course of events from the perspective of (all) actors in the narratives that societies create as a platform to project or question (their) reality. Unfortunately, since I research vampires, witches and ghosts, the ‘undead’ are often unable to help me, but in cases involving living beings, it has been crucial to understand the social relations and dynamics behind mass hysteria. Modern Folk Devils is an innovative and valuable set of analytical approaches, rooted in the ideas of Stanley Cohen and his book Folk Devils and Moral Panics (1972), but also the likes of Mary Douglas's Purity and Danger (1966), René Girard's The Scapegoat (1989) and other works whose theoretical approaches have contributed to a better understanding of concepts such as mass hysteria, moral panic, displacement, dangerous spaces and the scapegoating mechanism. This book represents a collection of modern analytical and theoretical works designed to broaden perspectives and achieve a deeper understanding of contemporary cases as reflections of a glocalised, hybrid and constantly changing world – one that still keeps fears of the unknown, embodied in old and new, modern folk devils, alive. PB - New York. Oxford : Berghahn Journals T2 - Anthropological Journal of European Cultures T1 - Modern Folk Devils: Contemporary Constructions of Evil SP - 135 EP - 137 VL - 32 IS - 1 UR - https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_dais_15604 ER -
@article{ author = "Trbojević, Danilo", year = "2023", abstract = "In anthropological, sociological and humanistic theories, the mechanism of the ‘scapegoat’ is a well known phenomenon, but one still worth exploring in many cultural contexts. Modern Folk Devils represents an important collection of analytic texts on the topic of moral panics, scapegoating, and internal and external ‘otherness’ threats constructed by different societies, cultures and communities. The chapters in this book seek to contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of cultural and political circumstances for a broader understanding of modern folk devil phenomena. ‘Devils Within’ (the first part of the book) deals with the construction of ideas about the ‘internal figure’, for example ‘hipsters’ as a consequence of class relations, politics and gentrification in London, where the media has played a key role in constructing the ideas that caused the moral panic. There is also the case of fear of alleged sorcery in Vanuatu, where moral panic did not originate with the help of mass media, but through the dreams, visions and gossip of residents of local communities in crisis. A case of moral panic in Georgia was focused on the hybridisation of traditional motives, such as goblins, represented as human-looking but destructive internal figures, in the modern context narratives (due to the social and political crisis). In the last chapter in this section, sugar is labelled a threat to the health and social functionality of Danish youth. Sugar, like most devils, is an entity with a tradition of presence in a community that recognises it as a social menace. These chapters contribute to a deeper understanding of the relationship between tradition and modernity, as well as the circumstances that create the image of local devils as a source of social crisis. The second part of the book, ‘Devilry from Above’, examines the institutional and media construction of (political) demons as a threat from outside (beyond state borders) and above (in terms of class relations). Politics, media, sensationalism and fake news are recognised as catalysts that create and spread ‘community’ (or ‘nation’) ideas of threat, as part of moral panics and desirable forms of social discipline construction. For example, scapegoating was a part of Donald Trump's political strategy, but also that of his opposition – a moral panic constructed and emphasised through social networks by exploiting existing stereotypes about the ‘otherness’ of the LGBT community and feminism; at the same time, these groups are socially marginalised and portrayed as the main cause of the degradation of the ‘traditional family’ in the Czech Republic. The case study about ‘Gypsy child snatchers’ in Italy represents the appropriation of old stereotypes about Romani nomadic culture that were once seen as an obstacle to its inclusion. Today, the majority of Roma do not live a nomadic life, but still represent ‘otherness’ whose inclusion is seen as a threat to Italian society. These examples illustrate the role of media sensationalism, internet groups and political discourses as hubs for the hybridisation of old and new stereotypes and the creation of dominant images of (political) ‘reality’. The third part of the book, ‘From the Devils’ Point of View’, deals with the conceptual basis of stereotypes, for instance regarding Roma identity in the Czech Republic, where ideas of ‘decency’ or ‘functionality’ are tailored to the standards of the majority as opposed to the marginalised, or migrants seeking asylum in England, who have been represented as ‘devils’ by the media. Lithuanians have been portrayed by the Danish media as the cause of an increase in particularly violent and inhumane criminal behaviour, thus creating not only a (false) image of this ethnic group, but also a climate in which society, motivated by distorted media images, treats Lithuanians as a pest. The case of a person in Sri Lanka who was labelled an adulteress and excommunicated (without evidence) raises questions about the symbolic roles of folk devils in society. This contribution emphasises an appreciation of historical and cultural circumstances, as well as an understanding of the relationships among actors involved in the construction of folk devils. The authors of this book have dealt with phenomena not only typical of ‘rural’ or ‘traditional’ societies, but also of contemporary, urban and modern ones that, consciously or unconsciously, have constructed images of the internal or external enemy as the cause of social crisis. Several chapters in this book emphasise ideological, class or social position as the background of (political or media) instrumentalisation of devil motives as a threat to society (be it a group, nation or state). Other authors focus on factors of internal dynamics and relationships crucial for the construction of dominant ideas of ‘us’ in contrast to ‘outsiders’, or ‘norm’ versus ‘deviance’. All the chapters represent successful analyses of cases of imagined or real crises, mostly employing emic and in fewer cases etic perspectives. The ontological perspective, as the most methodologically challenging, has imposed itself as perhaps a decisive factor in multidimensional understanding of these phenomena. As someone who studies traditional, modern and hybrid forms of scapegoats, dangerous individuals and spaces, it seems helpful to me to observe the course of events from the perspective of (all) actors in the narratives that societies create as a platform to project or question (their) reality. Unfortunately, since I research vampires, witches and ghosts, the ‘undead’ are often unable to help me, but in cases involving living beings, it has been crucial to understand the social relations and dynamics behind mass hysteria. Modern Folk Devils is an innovative and valuable set of analytical approaches, rooted in the ideas of Stanley Cohen and his book Folk Devils and Moral Panics (1972), but also the likes of Mary Douglas's Purity and Danger (1966), René Girard's The Scapegoat (1989) and other works whose theoretical approaches have contributed to a better understanding of concepts such as mass hysteria, moral panic, displacement, dangerous spaces and the scapegoating mechanism. This book represents a collection of modern analytical and theoretical works designed to broaden perspectives and achieve a deeper understanding of contemporary cases as reflections of a glocalised, hybrid and constantly changing world – one that still keeps fears of the unknown, embodied in old and new, modern folk devils, alive.", publisher = "New York. Oxford : Berghahn Journals", journal = "Anthropological Journal of European Cultures", title = "Modern Folk Devils: Contemporary Constructions of Evil", pages = "135-137", volume = "32", number = "1", url = "https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_dais_15604" }
Trbojević, D.. (2023). Modern Folk Devils: Contemporary Constructions of Evil. in Anthropological Journal of European Cultures New York. Oxford : Berghahn Journals., 32(1), 135-137. https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_dais_15604
Trbojević D. Modern Folk Devils: Contemporary Constructions of Evil. in Anthropological Journal of European Cultures. 2023;32(1):135-137. https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_dais_15604 .
Trbojević, Danilo, "Modern Folk Devils: Contemporary Constructions of Evil" in Anthropological Journal of European Cultures, 32, no. 1 (2023):135-137, https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_dais_15604 .