Durkheim's concept of dérèglement retranslated, Parsons's reading of Durkheim re‐parsed: an examination of post‐emotional displacement, scapegoating and responsibility at Abu Ghraib

In: International social science journal, Band 58, Heft s1, S. 139-157

Abstract

In a continued attempt to comprehend Durkheim's original understanding of anomie as a form of dérèglement or derangement, we begin with a discussion of how the experiences of abuse at Abu Ghraib fit his model of a deranged, anomic social system. To bolster our interpretation we show how this, more accurate, understanding of anomie as derangement is useful for understanding war crimes in general, an area where Durkheim's concept of anomie has been infrequently applied as a descriptor for research and analysis. Additionally, the concept of post‐emotionalism is used to capture a number of related themes in this discussion pertaining to the sociology of knowledge: how and why original meanings of both the abuse at Abu Ghraib and Durkheim's concept of derangement have been taken out of context and result in displaced emotions, scapegoating and misplaced responsibility in intellectual discourse as well as the military justice system.