Violence and Crime in Nineteenth Century England

<p>This book illuminates the origins and development of violence as a social issue by examining a critical period in the evolution of attitudes towards violence. It explores the meaning of violence through an accessible mixture of detailed empirical research and a broad survey of cutting-edge historical theory.</p><p>The author discusses topics such as street fighting, policing, sports, community discipline and domestic violence and shows how the nineteenth century established enduring patterns in views of violence.</p><p><em>Violence and Crime in Nineteenth-Century England</em> will be essential reading for advanced students and researchers of modern British history, social and cultural history and criminology.</p> <p>1. 'Speakable' Violence: Mentality and Violence, Narrative and Counternarrative 2. A Useful Savagery: Violence, Civilization and Middle-Class Identity 3. 'Vigorous Passions and Decided Actions': Custom and the Cultural Contexts of Violence 4. 'The Brave Old English Custom' : Dispute, Recreation and Ritual Violence among Working-Class Men 5. 'The Wrongdoing of the Poor Man Is as Open as Day' : Built Space, Imagined Space, Knowledge and Violence 6. 'Heave Half a Brick at a Stranger' : Strategies of Violence</p>