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Leser, J. The Category of ‘Culture’ in Vice Squad Policing in Germany. Sociologus, 70(1), 57-72. https://doi.org/10.3790/soc.70.1.57
Leser, Julia "The Category of ‘Culture’ in Vice Squad Policing in Germany" Sociologus 70.1, , 57-72. https://doi.org/10.3790/soc.70.1.57
Leser, Julia: The Category of ‘Culture’ in Vice Squad Policing in Germany, in: Sociologus, vol. 70, iss. 1, 57-72, [online] https://doi.org/10.3790/soc.70.1.57
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The Category of ‘Culture’ in Vice Squad Policing in Germany

Leser, Julia

Sociologus, Vol. 70 (2020), Iss. 1 : pp. 57–72

1 Citations (CrossRef)

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Article Details

Publisher Name
Duncker & Humblot
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3790/soc.70.1.57
Language
English
Pages
16

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Author Details

Leipzig University, Department of Political Science, Beethovenstr. 15, 04107 Leipzig

Cited By

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    Darley, Mathilde

    Sociétés contemporaines, Vol. N° 125 (2022), Iss. 1 P.175

    https://doi.org/10.3917/soco.125.0175 [Citations: 0]

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Abstract

Abstract

This article makes a twofold claim. First, the notion of ‘culture’ is inherently interwoven with the classification system that organises the daily work of police officers. In their understanding, culture is a one-size-fits-all category to produce boundaries in terms of gender, ethnicity, class, and the willingness of a population to submit to police authority. The second claim is that ‘culture’ has a particular functionality in the field of policing practices. For police officers, ‘culture’ solves complex problems. It breaks down the complexities of the social world that the officers face, as it operates both as a meaning-making and complexity-reducing mechanism that ultimately counters particular dilemmas. In this regard, ethnographic research of a vice squad conducted in a mid-sized German city in 2015 revealed the kind of dilemma that exemplifies the argument of this contribution: the dilemma of the absent victim and its counterpart, the irritated police officer.

Keywords: Policing, culture, bureaucracy, human trafficking, state

Table of Contents

Section Title Page Action Price
Julia Leser: The Category of ‘Culture’ in Vice Squad Policing in Germany 1
Abstract 1
1. The Dilemma of the Absent Victim 1
2. The Irritated Police Officer 4
3. The Plausible Explanation 6
4. Practising ‘Culture’ 1
5. Conclusion 1
References 1

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