'Gang' as Empty Signifier in Contemporary Canadian Newspapers.
The word gang appears frequently in newspapers. The meaning of this term, however, varies greatly depending on context. This study examines its different significations in the top-selling English-language newspapers in Canada. Taking almost 3,900 occurrences of the term and its variants (gangs, gang...
| Publicado en: | Canadian Journal of Criminology & Criminal Justice Vol. 54; no. 4; pp. 443 - 480 |
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| Autores principales: | , |
| Formato: | Artículo |
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University of Toronto Press
Oct2012
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=82371339&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 82371339 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 17077753 U3F jtl: Canadian Journal of Criminology & Criminal Justice issn: 17077753 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Oct2012 vid: 54 iid: 4 pid: 678 pub: University of Toronto Press artinfo: ui: 82371339 10.3138/cjccj.2011.E.32 ppf: 443 ppct: 37 formats: tig: atl: 'Gang' as Empty Signifier in Contemporary Canadian Newspapers. aug: au: Richardson, Chris Kennedy, Liam su: Canada Laclau, Ernesto, 1935-2014 Gangs Newspapers Journalists Vandalism Terrorist plots sug: subj: Gangs Newspapers Journalists Vandalism Terrorist plots Canada Independent writers and authors Independent actors, comedians and performers Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers Newspaper Publishers Book stores and news dealers News Dealers and Newsstands Book, periodical and newspaper merchant wholesalers Book, Periodical, and Newspaper Merchant Wholesalers Laclau, Ernesto, 1935-2014 keyword: crime gangs journalism journalisme journaux médias media newspapers représentation representation crime gangs journalism journalisme journaux médias media newspapers représentation representation ab: The word gang appears frequently in newspapers. The meaning of this term, however, varies greatly depending on context. This study examines its different significations in the top-selling English-language newspapers in Canada. Taking almost 3,900 occurrences of the term and its variants (gangs, ganging, and ganged) in the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, the Vancouver Sun, and Montreal's Gazette, the authors analyse how journalists deploy the concept of gangs to describe diverse subjects from vandalism by teenagers to extortion by organized crime syndicates to terrorist plots by religious extremists as well as simply groups of friends or acquaintances with no criminal connections. Using Ernesto Laclau's concept of the empty signifier as the main theoretical framework, the authors argue that 'gang' has been emptied of its meaning and, while its current uses are not necessarily indicative of conspiratorial or ideological strategies, this ambiguity risks being appropriated within hegemonic political discourses if not questioned and reassessed by journalists and readers. The authors conclude by suggesting ways to combat this problem of ambiguity and highlight the political implications that future researchers may explore in relation to mediated representations of crime. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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