TY  - GEN
AB  - Central America has the reputation of being a violent region with high crime rates, youth
gangs, drug traffic, and ubiquitous insecurity. Politicians, the media, and social scientists
in and outside the region often claim that the societies are in complete agreement with
their judgment of the situation and that all society members are calling for law and order
and social segregation. Focusing on Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, the paper analyzes
the social perception of violence and crime. On the basis of essays written by secondary
school students and interviews with citizens from all walks of life in the three countries,
the paper points out how elite arguments on violence and crime are translated into
everyday life, and what society members suggest be done to deal with these problems.
The sources prove that there are noticeable hegemonic discourses on violence and crime in
Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Simultaneously, a majority of the respondents call
for social and integrative solutions rather than the so-called “iron fist.” The repressive
trend in Central American policies therefore does not necessarily receive the presumed affirmation
asserted by many authorities on and in the region.
DA  - 2008
KW  - public discourse
KW  - crime
KW  - Central America
KW  - violence
KW  - social perception
LA  - eng
PY  - 2008
SP  - 31-
TI  - Discourses on violence in Costa Rica, El Salvador and Nicaragua: Social Perceptions in Everyday Life
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0070-pub-25280730
Y2  - 2024-11-22T04:45:26
ER  -