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Making Sense of Murder: The Reality versus the Realness of Gang Homicides in Two Contexts

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  • Marta-Marika Urbanik

    (Department of Sociology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H4, Canada)

  • Robert A. Roks

    (Erasmus School of Law, Erasmus University Rotterdam, 3062 PA Rotterdam, The Netherlands)

Abstract

Despite the proliferation of research examining gang violence, little is known about how gang members experience, make sense of, and respond to peer fatalities. Drawing from two ethnographies in the Netherlands and Canada, this paper interrogates how gang members experience their affiliates’ murder in different street milieus. We describe how gang members in both studies made sense of and navigated their affiliates’ murder(s) by conducting pseudo-homicide investigations, being hypervigilant, and attributing blameworthiness to the victim. We then demonstrate that while the Netherland’s milder street culture amplifies the significance of homicide, signals the authenticity of gang life, and reaffirms or tests group commitment, frequent and normalized gun violence in Canada has desensitized gang-involved men to murder, created a communal and perpetual state of insecurity, and eroded group cohesion. Lastly, we compare the ‘realness’ of gang homicide in The Hague with the ‘reality’ of lethal violence in Toronto, drawing attention to the importance of the ‘local’ in making sense of murder and contrasting participants’ narratives of interpretation.

Suggested Citation

  • Marta-Marika Urbanik & Robert A. Roks, 2021. "Making Sense of Murder: The Reality versus the Realness of Gang Homicides in Two Contexts," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-18, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:10:y:2021:i:1:p:17-:d:478680
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Skarbek, David, 2011. "Governance and Prison Gangs," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 105(4), pages 702-716, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Daniel Scott, 2022. "Where You From? Examining the Relationship between Gang Migrants and Gang-Related Homicide," Societies, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-13, March.
    2. Matthew Valasik & Shannon E. Reid, 2021. "“The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same”: Research on Gang-Related Violence in the 21st Century—Introduction to Special Issue," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-5, June.

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