Risk and Blame

Essays in Cultural Theory

Professor Mary Douglas

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English

Routledge
10 November 1994

Decision theory: general; Society & Social Sciences; Cultural studies; Social, group or collective psychology; Political science & theory

The idea of risk has recently risen to prominence in political debate and in matters of public policy. Cognitive psychology treats decision-making as a private personal act. But on real life dangers are presented in standardized forms which pre-code the individual's choices. This collection follows on from the programme for studying risk and blame that was implied in Purity and Danger and has been developed in subsequent publications. Its first six essays argue that any analysis of risk perception that ignores cultural and political bias is worthless. For the sake of a mistaken idea of objectivity, research on risk perception tries to avoid politics, the idea of nature is inherently politicized. The study of risk needs a systematic framework of political and cultural comparison. The next five essays range over questions in cultural theory. A culture is viewed as a way of life which standardizes concepts and values. It is held steady by the institutions in which it is articulated. Questions of

autonomy, credibility and gullibility, the social origins of wants, and the recognition of distinctive thought styles are at present only beginning to be treated systematically in a framework of cultural analysis. Now that risk is moving centre-stage as the dominant idiom of policy analysis, many other key topics such as the notion of the self will need to be radically revised. In Risk and Blame , Mary Douglas argues that the prominence of risk discourse will force upon the social sciences a programme of rethinking and consolidation which will include the anthropological approaches studied

in these pages.

By: Professor Mary Douglas
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: New edition
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 340g
ISBN: 9780415119993
ISBN 10: 0415119995
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 10 November 1994
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Professional & Vocational , A / AS level , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Professor Mary Douglas

Reviews for Risk and Blame: Essays in Cultural Theory

"""[an] always rewarding collection covering topics as diverse as witchcraft, the usefulness of stigma, the misguided search for the historical Jesus, and the contrasting cultures and consequent effectiveness of Swedish and English trade unions . . . For my money, Douglas's sure grasp of how symbolism is tied to social relations is indispensable in making sense of contemporary religious conflict."" -""Commonweal ""Characteristic of Douglas' other works, these essays define cultural theory as ""a way of thinking about culture that draws the social environment systematically into the picture of individual choices,"" a ""method of analyzing public debates as positions taken in a conflict between cultures"" (xi). This definition is of value for how it frames a theory of culture that guides research while compelling us to recognize the real subject of our interest.."" ...""Douglas's arguments about the ideological bases of knowledge and consequently its necessary political implications are notonly eloquent but convincing. One can only admire the frankness with which she makes an (avowedly unpopular) case for ""hierarchy,"" and agree that those who appeal instead to abstract ""reason"" or ""justice"" are merely less forthright or less lucid."" -""Zygon"