Showing Remorse: Law and the Social Control of Emotion

by Richard Weisman, Austin D Sarat

Overview

The primary focus of this work is, unlike previous studies, not on whether the wrongdoer meets our expectations over how and when remorse should be shown, but on how the community reacts when these expectations are met or not met. Using examples drawn from Canada, the United States, and South Africa, the author demonstrates that the showing of remorse is a site of negotiation and contention between differing groups. This study also shows that the process of deciding when and how remorse should be expressed contributes to the moral ordering of society as a whole.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472403025
Publisher:	Ashgate Publishing Ltd
Publication date:	02/28/2014
Series:	Law, Justice and Power
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Richard Weisman is Professor Emeritus, Department of Social Science, Law and Society Program, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, and Department of Sociology, Glendon College, York University, in Toronto, Canada.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Towards a Constructionist Approach to the Study of Remorse, Richard Weisman; Chapter 2 Being and Doing: The Judicial Use of Remorse to Construct Character and Community, Richard Weisman; Chapter 3 Making Monsters: Contemporary Uses of the Pathological Approach to Remorse, Richard Weisman; Chapter 4 Defiance, Richard Weisman; Chapter 5 Remorse and Social Transformation: Reflections on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa, Richard Weisman; Chapter 6 The Social and Legal Regulation of Remorse, Richard Weisman;

Editorial Reviews

Prize: Winner of the Canadian Law and Society Association Book prize for 2015 Prize: Honorable Mention for the 2014 Distinguished Book Award of the Sociology of Law Section of the American Sociological Association: 'The work is deeply researched, persuasively argued and lucidly written... This book adds nuance and depth to a much considered topic and so makes a most significant contribution to the intellectual wealth of our field.’ ’In this gem of a book, Richard Weisman wrestles with the concept of remorse in surprisingly novel ways, using rich illustrations to depict remarkably diverse rituals of apology. Weisman’s effort to probe the contested meanings that remorse holds in our culture, law, and morality has yielded a tour de force.’ Constance Backhouse, University of Ottawa, Canada ’In the legal system, much depends on whether an accused wrongdoer shows appropriate remorse, yet little attention has been paid to how and why remorse should be exhibited. Richard Weisman’s important book explores what the community expects from a remorseful wrongdoer and what happens - or ought to happen - when those expectations are thwarted.’ Susan Bandes, DePaul University College of Law, USA ’In this carefully argued and researched volume, Richard Weisman provides an original examination of the concept of remorse. The work constitutes a valuable addition to the literature on this complex issue and will be of great interest to sociolegal scholars and legal practitioners alike.’ Julian V. Roberts, University of Oxford, UK ’While contemporary criminal justice is officially secular and fact-driven, offenders are nevertheless expected to show remorse, and lack of visible remorse can have a marked negative impact in parole and probation contexts as well as in sentencing. In this innovative work Richard Weisman explores the complex emotional, psychological and legal issues raised by the criminal justice's system unwritten expectations about offending and remors

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