To Live—and Die—in Dixie: A Contribution to the Study of Southern Violence

Reed, John Shelton

doi:10.2307/2147914

Cited by 49 publications

(19 citation statements)

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“…A Southern tradition developed in which disputes were handled privately, without the involvement of formal authorities (Reed 1971). Private retribution was prominent in the South because law enforcement was either inadequate or corrupt Courtwright 1996;Cusson 1999;Vandal 2000).…”

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confidence: 99%

Gun Cultures or Honor Cultures? Explaining Regional and Race Differences in Weapon Carrying

Felson

Paré

2010

Social Forces

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We use the National Violence against Women (and Men) Survey to examine the effects of region and race on the tendency to carry weapons for protection. We find that Southern and Western whites are much more likely than Northern whites to carry guns for self-protection, controlling for their risk of victimization. The difference between Southern and Northern whites is particularly strong for women. We do not find much evidence for regional/race differences in carrying knives or mace. These findings provide support for the idea that regional differences in weapon carrying reflect a gun culture rather than an honor culture. We see more evidence of an honor culture among blacks: they are more likely than whites to carry knives as well as guns, controlling for their risk of victimization.

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confidence: 99%

Gun Cultures or Honor Cultures? Explaining Regional and Race Differences in Weapon Carrying

Felson

Paré

2010

Social Forces

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“…In contrast, there were no significant regional differences when describing non-honor-related crimes such as robbery. Southerners had more liberal attitudes toward gun ownership and self-defense (Cohen, 1996;Reed, 1971;Williams, McGrath, Gray, & Sullivan, 1984) and harsher attitudes toward crime and punishment.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Violent South: Culture of Honor, Social Disorganization, and Murder in Appalachia

Andreescu

Shutt

Vito

2011

Criminal Justice Review

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Nisbett and Cohen contended that consistently higher argument-related homicide rates in the South are a result of early historical and economic circumstances of the frontier that contributed to the development of a persistent ''culture of honor,'' which legitimized violence in response to provocations. Using 1990-1992 argument-related homicide data for Appalachian counties and considering the effect of the religious culture, this study attempts to reexamine Cohen's finding that social stability increased honor/argument-related homicide rates in the American South but had the opposite effect in the North. Although results show that interregional differences in homicide rate exist in Appalachia and could be explained by an existing ''culture of honor'' reinforced by certain religious beliefs, this analysis did not find support for Cohen's hypotheses. Family stability appears to be a crime deterrent in both subregions, though the relationship is not significant. Community stability is positively related to homicide rates in both subregions, but the effect is significant in the North and not in the South, as Cohen predicted. In addition, when controlling for relevant structural covariates, the authors found that counties where most adherents belonged to a conservative Protestant denomination had on average significantly higher argument-related homicide rates, whereas counties with most Roman Catholic adherents had significantly lower murder rates.

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“…As a rural and frontier region, Southerners have historically practiced informal social control out of necessity (Messner, Baller & Zevenbergen, 2005). The conduct norms of honor and violence for conflict resolution are observable across social classes in the South, as illustrated by gentlemen requiring "satisfaction" for insults through duels and family feuds among the hill people (Reed, 1971). The normalization of coercion and force necessary for protection, to maintain slavery, embitterment over the War Between the States and subsequent economic exploitation during and after reconstruction have shaped cultural views concerning authority, violence, and its legitimate use (Faust, 1988).…”

Section: The Ssv Theoretical Lineagementioning

confidence: 99%