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Cinayetin Tarihi: Ortaçağ'dan Günümüze Avrupa'da Bireysel Şiddet
Kılıçlar, sopalar, düellolar, namus ve aşk cinayetleri… Erkek erkeğe kavgalar, aile içi katliamlar ve soygun amaçlı öldürmeler… Suç ve şiddetin kategorileştirilmesi, soruşturulması, yıllar boyunca akıllarda kalması, konuşulması… Kadınlar, erkekler ve seri katiller… Ortaçağ'da insanlar, cinayeti şerefli bir savunma ya da intikam eylemi olarak görüyorlardı.
Kavgadan kaçmak ya da intikamı ertelemek, itibar kaybıydı. Sonraları soylular, alt sınıflardan insanlarla hiçbir biçimde kavgaya girmez oldular.
Saygın vatandaşlar gerektiğinde kendilerini savunmak zorunda kaldılarsa da, bıçak kavgalarına dâhil olmayı reddettiler. Bıçak kavgası, alt sınıfların sakilliğini taşıyordu; izlenebilirdi ama katılmak yersiz ve mantık dışıydı.
Çatışmalar erkekler arasında gelişiyordu ve öğrenilmiş cinsiyet rolleri, kadınları, katil olmaktan alıkoyuyordu. 19. yüzyıla gelindiğinde şeref kavramı yeniden tanımlanıyor, uygarlaşmanın sonucu olarak kan davaları ve bıçak kavgaları, siyasal iktidarın daha az nüfuz edebildiği, ekonomik olarak az gelişmiş bölgelere kayıyordu. Bugün, küreselleşmeyle birlikte yaşanan göç ve organize suçlar, uygarlaşma eğrisini yanlışlayacak biçimde metropollerde yoğunlaşıyor. Pieter Spierenburg, Ortaçağ'dan günümüze cinayetin tarihini, ustalıkla anlatıyor.
“Cinayet düzeyinin yüksek olduğu Ortaçağ'da, insanlar cinayetten korkmuyorlardı. 19. yüzyıla doğru öldürme fiilleri azaldıkça, korku arttı.
Ancak 20. yüzyıl boyunca, bu ters bağıntı ortadan kalkmaya başladı. Şiddetin en düşük noktaya indiği 1950'ler ve 1960'larda, başka toplumsal kaygılar öne çıktı ve cinayetlerin 1970'ten sonraki artışına, şiddete karşı yükselen bir duyarlılık eşlik etti.”
Kavgadan kaçmak ya da intikamı ertelemek, itibar kaybıydı. Sonraları soylular, alt sınıflardan insanlarla hiçbir biçimde kavgaya girmez oldular.
Saygın vatandaşlar gerektiğinde kendilerini savunmak zorunda kaldılarsa da, bıçak kavgalarına dâhil olmayı reddettiler. Bıçak kavgası, alt sınıfların sakilliğini taşıyordu; izlenebilirdi ama katılmak yersiz ve mantık dışıydı.
Çatışmalar erkekler arasında gelişiyordu ve öğrenilmiş cinsiyet rolleri, kadınları, katil olmaktan alıkoyuyordu. 19. yüzyıla gelindiğinde şeref kavramı yeniden tanımlanıyor, uygarlaşmanın sonucu olarak kan davaları ve bıçak kavgaları, siyasal iktidarın daha az nüfuz edebildiği, ekonomik olarak az gelişmiş bölgelere kayıyordu. Bugün, küreselleşmeyle birlikte yaşanan göç ve organize suçlar, uygarlaşma eğrisini yanlışlayacak biçimde metropollerde yoğunlaşıyor. Pieter Spierenburg, Ortaçağ'dan günümüze cinayetin tarihini, ustalıkla anlatıyor.
“Cinayet düzeyinin yüksek olduğu Ortaçağ'da, insanlar cinayetten korkmuyorlardı. 19. yüzyıla doğru öldürme fiilleri azaldıkça, korku arttı.
Ancak 20. yüzyıl boyunca, bu ters bağıntı ortadan kalkmaya başladı. Şiddetin en düşük noktaya indiği 1950'ler ve 1960'larda, başka toplumsal kaygılar öne çıktı ve cinayetlerin 1970'ten sonraki artışına, şiddete karşı yükselen bir duyarlılık eşlik etti.”
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
376 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 9, 2017
The book is hard to read and with lots of statistics. It makes for a good researched book but it also becomes a struggle to read it. There are some very insightful chapters but lots of the book is the repetition of his central argument with statistics. I had the feeling this should have been a well written essay and not an entire book or he should have make the content more diverse. I would suggest it to someone who has a profound interest in the subject and want to use it as a reference for his or her own study. This certainly is not just a fun and quick read through.
February 14, 2022
I read this for class and it really did make me think about honor systems when I rewatched Pride and Prejudice so there is a practical application for it I guess
January 10, 2014
I felt a bit drowned in statistics at times. Keep in mind that a subject like this can't be generalized across countries since each country had differing experiences. But all the numbers and comparisons had me lost at times. His basic point (the 'spiritualization" of honor') was a good one but a lot of the power of the argument was lost for me in the sea of numbers I was drowning in.
September 7, 2022
It was interesting til we got to the 20th century, alas, and now I'm not so confident of the veracity of the medieval stuff I do love so much.
Still, there were some ideas worth keeping, IE: honour culture, with its misogyny, male-on-male violence, vendettas, that the only thing that mattered was how dangerous a fella you are. Fuck with me die. That sort of thing (scary: I valued that, too, as I turned 14. It didn't go so well.) Anyway: you see it where poverty's rampant, gov't is chaotic (Somalia, spots of Eastern Europe (+ area around Greece -- Albania? etc in the 90s), and rule of law is remote & arbitrary (South Central LA & most inner cities). It's fascinating, and it makes sense: we operate under laws that are universal, transcending religion, race, & nationality. I"ve heard some horror stories about 1950s Glasgow, for example; what a shame the writer's vision was ultimately so limited.
Still, there were some ideas worth keeping, IE: honour culture, with its misogyny, male-on-male violence, vendettas, that the only thing that mattered was how dangerous a fella you are. Fuck with me die. That sort of thing (scary: I valued that, too, as I turned 14. It didn't go so well.) Anyway: you see it where poverty's rampant, gov't is chaotic (Somalia, spots of Eastern Europe (+ area around Greece -- Albania? etc in the 90s), and rule of law is remote & arbitrary (South Central LA & most inner cities). It's fascinating, and it makes sense: we operate under laws that are universal, transcending religion, race, & nationality. I"ve heard some horror stories about 1950s Glasgow, for example; what a shame the writer's vision was ultimately so limited.
August 25, 2026
DNF. Good premise, too dense and dry.
May 24, 2010
I found a reference to this book on the internet while attempting to dig up statistics on the long-term trends in incidence of crime. Records on murder are fairly well-kept, so it is an easy trend to study with statistics and graphs. Unfortunately, the book itself is not so easy to study.
The most interesting part of A History of Murder, and the primary reason I read it, is a graph in the introduction, showing that the murder rate (in Europe) has decreased by a factor of roughly 30 between the 14th century and today. Unfortunately, the plot does not show the error bars on the data, but from the overall smoothness of the decline, I'd say it's pretty clear that we are far safer today than 600, 300, or even 100 years ago.
The body of the book attempts to dissect the trends that contribute to murder rates. I wish the clarity that came with the introductory plot could have been carried through the rest of the pages. Unfortunately, I often found instances where the point behind a paragraph would seem to shift midway through. In particular, the author sprinkles accounts of several interesting cases of murder throughout the book, but sometimes, I felt as if they were thrown in gratuitously, and were not well-connected to the rest of the material in the paragraph into which they were parachuted.
While the book serves as a good point from which to find references on crime statistics from the Middle Ages until the present day, the inconclusive nature of the research in the field shows through in the book. The reader should come to this book prepared to actively research and form his own opinions on the root causes behind statistical trends in murder, as a function of time and circumstance.
The most interesting part of A History of Murder, and the primary reason I read it, is a graph in the introduction, showing that the murder rate (in Europe) has decreased by a factor of roughly 30 between the 14th century and today. Unfortunately, the plot does not show the error bars on the data, but from the overall smoothness of the decline, I'd say it's pretty clear that we are far safer today than 600, 300, or even 100 years ago.
The body of the book attempts to dissect the trends that contribute to murder rates. I wish the clarity that came with the introductory plot could have been carried through the rest of the pages. Unfortunately, I often found instances where the point behind a paragraph would seem to shift midway through. In particular, the author sprinkles accounts of several interesting cases of murder throughout the book, but sometimes, I felt as if they were thrown in gratuitously, and were not well-connected to the rest of the material in the paragraph into which they were parachuted.
While the book serves as a good point from which to find references on crime statistics from the Middle Ages until the present day, the inconclusive nature of the research in the field shows through in the book. The reader should come to this book prepared to actively research and form his own opinions on the root causes behind statistical trends in murder, as a function of time and circumstance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2015
Very insightful book, although sometimes concentration is needed. Not a book to read on a relaxing holiday, but interesting. The many examples are enlightening
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews