Family Activism in the Aftermath of Fatal Violence PDF
Preview Family Activism in the Aftermath of Fatal Violence
Elizabeth Cook displays her colours early with reference to C. Wright Mills and her Family Activism in the Aftermath of Fatal Violence is itself a splendid example of his notion of the sociological imagination. Mothers Against Violence, a small, activist, Manchester group whose members were shaken by the impact of gun violence, serves as a prism through which she can observe the fused workings of bereavement, ethnicity, kinship, gender, matriarchy, ideas of justice, ideas of community, conceptions of moral purpose (often mediated by a sense of Christian mission), attempts to memorialise the dead, and much else. It is thoughtful, sophisticated, compelling, and highly accessible. So many voluntary organisations arise and disappear without trace, not much studied and dimly understood, and it is providential that she has so ably captured the life- world of one such group in its prime. Paul Rock, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, London School of Economics This important and original book explores how the effects of fatal violence reverberate through kin and community ties. Using careful qualitative fieldwork and detailed interviews with those bereaved by gun violence, the author explores what families in this unenviable position do with their circumstances and how the family can serve as a site of resistance and activism. It is very well written and convincingly argued and draws the reader into a deep consideration of these processes. The book makes an important contribution to the academic study of fatal violence and its aftermath, victims, families, and the broader fields of crime, justice, and punishment. This excellent book is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the wider repercussions of crime and victimisation and how they endure in people’s lives. Rachel Condry, Professor of Criminology, University of Oxford Family Activism in the Aftermath of Fatal Violence Family Activism in the Aftermath of Fatal Violence explores how family and family activism work at the intersection of personal and public troubles and considers what influence family testimonies of fatal violence can have on matters of crime, justice, and punishment. The problem of fatal violence represents one end of a long continuum of violence that marks society, the effects of which endure in families and friends connected through ties of kinship, identity, and social bonds. The aftermath of fatal violence can therefore be an intensely personal encounter that confronts families with disorder and uncertainty. Nevertheless, bereaved families are often found at the forefront of efforts to expose injustice, rouse public consciousness, and drive forward social change that seeks to prevent violence from happening again. This book draws upon ethnographic research with those bereaved by gun violence who became involved in family activism in the context of fatal vio- lence: namely, the attempts by bereaved families to manage their experiences of violent death through public expressions of grief and become proxies for wider debates on social injustice. This is an ever more pressing issue in a landscape that increasingly sees the delegation of responsibility to families and communities that are left to deal with the aftermath of violence. An accessible and compelling read, this book will appeal to students and scholars of criminology, sociology, cultural studies, and all those interested in learning more about the after-e ffects of fatal violence. Elizabeth A. Cook is a Lecturer in the Violence and Society Centre at City, University of London. Previously, she worked at the Universities of Oxford and Manchester. She researches in the areas of family, family activism, and fatal violence. Victims, Culture and Society Concerns about victimisation have multiplied over the last 50 years. Victims, Culture and Society explores the major concepts, debates, and controversies that these concerns have generated across a range of disciplines, but particu- larly within criminology and victimology. As the impacts of globalisation, the movement of peoples, and the divergences between the global North and global South have become ever more apparent, this series provides an authori- tative space for original contributions in making sense of these far-r eaching changes on individuals, localities, and nationalities. These issues by their very nature demand an interdisciplinary approach and an interdisciplinary voice outside conventional conceptual boundaries. Victims, Culture and Society offers the space for that voice. Each author adopts a strong personal view and offers a lively and agenda- setting treatment of their subject matter. The monographs encompass a trans- national, global, or comparative approach to the issues they address. Examining new areas of both empirical and theoretical enquiry, the series offers the oppor- tunity for innovative and progressive thinking about the relationship between victims, culture, and society. The books will be useful and thought-p rovoking resources for the international community of undergraduates, postgraduates, researchers, and policy- makers working within the broad field of victimisation. Edited by: Sandra Walklate, University of Liverpool, UK and Monash University, Australia Kerry Carrington, Queensland University of Technology, Australia Genocide and Victimology Edited by Yarin Eski Family Activism in the Aftermath of Fatal Violence Elizabeth A. Cook For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/ Victims- Culture- and- Society/ book- series/ VICS. Family Activism in the Aftermath of Fatal Violence Elizabeth A. Cook First published 2021 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2021 Elizabeth A. Cook The right of Elizabeth A. Cook to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing- in- Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Names: Cook, Elizabeth A. (Lecturere in sociology), author. Title: Family activism in the aftermath of fatal violence / Elizabeth A. Cook. Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2020031499 | ISBN 9780367422783 (hardback) | ISBN 9780367823146 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Victims of violent crimes. | Murder victims’ families. | Crime victims’ families. | Violent crimes–Prevention. | Criminal justice, Administration of–Citizen participation. | Social action. Classification: LCC HV6250.25 .C676 2021 | DDC 362.88/152–dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020031499 ISBN: 978- 0- 367- 42278- 3 (hbk) ISBN: 978- 0- 367- 82314- 6 (ebk) Typeset in Bembo by Newgen Publishing UK Contents Acknowledgements viii Introduction 1 PART I Personal troubles 13 1 Concept and emergence of family activism 15 2 Trauma 32 3 Recovery and repair 57 PART II Public issues 83 4 Rebuilding family and community 85 5 Maternal grief and activism 115 6 The public significance of family activism 133 Conclusion 149 Appendix notes on methodology 161 Index 172 Acknowledgements This book is about what comes after fatal violence, and the stories presented in this book concern violent deaths that sit in the past. However, the effects of these events endure long after in family histories, testimony, and memory. The stories are unfinished in this sense and they will continue to shift and change after this book is ‘finished’ in any sense that a publication can be. I would like to thank those involved in Mothers Against Violence who shared their already precious time with me. This book would not have been possible without you and I have been humbled by the stories of loss, but also change, that you took the time to share with me. The work that you continue to do is central to so many lives; thank you for allowing me one window into it. This book is there- fore dedicated to those killed violently and those that are continuing to live with its effects. There are many people who have contributed to forming the ideas in this book and helped me to make sense of the thoughts and concepts behind it. I am deeply grateful to Sandra Walklate, who supervised me as a doctoral stu- dent and has continued to do so for much longer after this original piece was submitted. I would like to thank Rachel Condry, who has shown enthusiasm and confidence in my work when I have often struggled to find it. I also give my thanks to my newer colleague Sylvia Walby, who has challenged me to think about this work in new ways. I would like to acknowledge the generous funding provided by the Economic and Social Research Council +3 Doctoral Studentship (2014–2 017) at the University of Manchester and Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2019) at the University of Oxford, which gave me the time and space to formalise my thinking on family. There are many people who have contributed to my thinking during this time, provided guidance and moral support: Jon Shute, Becki Kaur, Paul Skowron, Jon Davies, Will Floodgate, Alice Gerlach, Will McGowan, Leila Tai, Caroline Miles, Hannah Quirk, Rowland Atkinson, Kate Fitz- Gibbon, Mary Iliadis, and Philippa Tomczak. There are many more people to name, so to anyone who has ever said something encouraging, thank you: it did not go unnoticed. newgenprepdf Acknowledgements ix And lastly to my family who have offered an endless sounding board and who have endured these past few years with me. Chapter 5 and the ‘brief methodology’ section in the Introduction to this book have been published previously in Criminology and Criminal Justice: Cook, E. (2020) ‘Motherhood, moral authority and the charismatic matri- arch in the aftermath of lethal violence.’ Criminology and Criminal Justice (Online First). DOI: [https:// doi.org/ 10.1177/ 1748895820914359].
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