Racist hate crime and the mortified self
| Published date | 01 January 2015 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0269758014551497 |
| Author | Corinne Funnell |
| Date | 01 January 2015 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Racist hate crime and
the mortified self: An
ethnographic study of the
impact of victimization
Corinne Funnell
University of the West of England, UK
Abstract
This article provides a unique criminological examination of the social situation of victims of racist
hate crime, specifically focusing on the consequences of victimization. Based on observational and
interview data gathered over two and a half years and located at an agency run by victims of racist
hate crime for such victims in England, the research project investigated inter alia how victims and
their caseworkers defined racist hate crimes and incidents and what meanings they gave those
experiences. Ethnographic research revealed how proximate relationships were perceived to
generate ‘risk’ for victims and how, in response, they developed a range of behavioural mod-
ification strategies, including isolation of themselves and significant others to avoid further hate
crime encounters. A comparison is made between Goffman’s ‘inmate’ and that of the racist hate
crime victim in his or her home and neighbourhood. Like inmates in total institutions, many who
experience racist hate crime are effectively closed to the outside world. In consequence, they
undergo processes of ‘loss and mortification’ within the home and neighbourhood context,
including ‘role dispossession’, and become victims.
Keywords
Impact, mortification, proximity, racism, victims
Introduction
It is widely claimed that more is known about the nature and impact of hate crime victimization
than the characteristics and motivations of hate crime offenders (see, for example, McDevitt
Corresponding author:
Corinne Funnell, Department of Health and Applied Social Sciences, University of the West of England, Frenchay Campus,
Room 3L5, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol, BS16 1QY, UK.
Email: corinne.funnell@uwe.ac.uk
International Review of Victimology
2015, Vol. 21(1) 71–83
ªThe Author(s) 2014
Reprints and permission:
sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1177/0269758014551497
irv.sagepub.com
71
To continue reading
Request your trial