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When West Meets East: Generalizing Theory and Expanding the Conceptual Toolkit of Criminology

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Comparative Criminology in Asia

Abstract

This paper considers the ways in which established criminological theories born and nurtured in the West might need to be transformed to be applicable to the context of East Asian societies. The analyses focus on two theoretical perspectives—Situational Action Theory and Institutional Anomie Theory —that are located at opposite ends of the continuum with respect to levels of analysis. I argue that the accumulated evidence from cross-cultural psychology and criminological research in East Asian societies raises serious questions about the feasibility of simply transporting these perspectives from the West to the East. Instead, my analyses suggest that the formulation of theoretical explanations of crime that are truly universal will require criminologists to create and incorporate new concepts that are more faithful to the social realities of non-Western societies, societies such as those in East Asia and Asia more generally.

This is a reprint of a paper published in the Asian Journal of Criminology 2015, 10(2), 117-130.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The utility of comparing Asian and Western societies to develop criminological theory given the pronounced institutional and cultural differences has been widely recognized. See, for example, Aranha and Burruss (2010), Chen (2004), Cheung and Cheung (2008), Kobayashi et al. (2010), Liu (2011), Messner (2014), and Yun and Walsh (2011).

  2. 2.

    The research in cross-cultural psychology reviewed below focuses primarily on contrasts between the West and the East Asian societies of China, Japan, and Korea. See, for example, Nisbett (2003, 2007), Norenzayan et al. (2007), and Varnum et al. (2010). Oyserman et al. (2002) highlight some of the important cultural differences within Asian and East Asian societies.

  3. 3.

    I have argued elsewhere (Messner 2012) that despite their focus at different ends of the continuum with respect to levels of analysis, Situational Action Theory and Institutional Anomie Theory are promising candidates for theoretical integration because morality plays a central role in both.

  4. 4.

    This passage echoes similarly bold claims by Gottfredson (2006, p. 83) that the “general theory of crime” (commonly referred to as self-control theory) has universal applicability. See also Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990).

  5. 5.

    Two general types of motivations are differentiated in SAT: temptations and provocations. See Wikström (2010).

  6. 6.

    The following discussion draws upon Kitayama et al. (2007). See also Markus and Hamedani (2007).

  7. 7.

    See Barbalet (2011) for an insightful analysis of how “agency” and “action,” which are at the core of SAT, have been understood very differently in traditional Chinese thought in comparison with Western thought.

  8. 8.

    The following synopsis of IAT is adapted from Messner (2012). See also Messner and Rosenfeld (2006, 2007) and Messner et al. (2008b).

  9. 9.

    In addition to drawing upon Durkheimain social thought, IAT is informed by Polanyi’s (1957/1944) observations about the socially destructive tendencies of the “self-regulating market.” See Messner and Rosenfeld (2000).

  10. 10.

    See Karstedt (2006) for empirical evidence indicating that individualistic and egalitarian values are associated with lower levels of violence.

  11. 11.

    Nisbett (2003, 2007) offers comprehensive summaries of the literature on cross-cultural differences in individualism and collectivism, and he proposes that these differences can be interpreted with reference to features of the ecological organization of societies. See Hofstede (2001) for an extended discussion of cross- national differences in basic cultural values more generally.

  12. 12.

    See Tam (2011) for an analysis of “organizational corruption” in the hospital sector of contemporary China.

  13. 13.

    Li’s analyses are based on four principal data sources: interviews about corrupt practices, court documents and press releases about cases involving bribery, diaries and essays about experiences with bribery, and a quasi-autobiography of a person convicted for bribing judges.

  14. 14.

    Researchers in political economy have long noted the prominent role of governmental agencies in promoting economic growth in Asian nations, which has been referred to as the “Asian developmental state.” See Chu (2009) for a critique of recent claims that the Asian developmental state (specifically in South Korea) is ill-equipped to deal with the emergence of the globalized knowledge economy.

  15. 15.

    On the basis of their examination of crime in Nigeria, Marenin and Reisig (1995, p. 502) challenge Gottfredson and Hirschi’s (1990) claim that self-control theory is a universal theory, arguing in part that “the basic concepts employed in the theory—force, fraud, opportunities, social consensus, deviance, prudence, self- control—are saturated with culturally specific meanings.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA

    Steven F. Messner

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  1. Steven F. Messner
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  1. Department of Sociology, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau, China

    Jianhong Liu

  2. School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

    Max Travers

  3. School of Social Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia

    Lennon Y.C. Chang

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Messner, S.F. (2017). When West Meets East: Generalizing Theory and Expanding the Conceptual Toolkit of Criminology. In: Liu, J., Travers, M., Chang, L. (eds) Comparative Criminology in Asia. Springer Series on Asian Criminology and Criminal Justice Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54942-2_6

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