Citation

Walklate S, Mythen G. Br. J. Criminol. 2008; 48(2): 209-225.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, Publisher Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/bjc/azm070

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper provides a historical overview of criminological uses of the concept of fear in relation to crime and criminal victimization. In it, we trace the developments of the fear of crime' debate, identify its strengths and weaknesses, and consider the extent to which historical and current discussions of it are able to adequately reflect the contemporary social condition. We go on to distinguish four different ways of interrogating victimhood--the cultural, political, interactional and the existential--that cast some light on the contemporary inadequacies of the fear-of-crime debate. In the conclusion, we advance a more holistic approach to fear that involves decentring crime and urges further research into interplay between local fears and global vistas of fear.