Danish gang seminars as boundary community Collaboration among all stakeholders and stakeholder positions

Transcription

1 Danish gang seminars as boundary community Collaboration among all stakeholders and stakeholder positions Line Lerche Mørck, Associate professor, DPU, Århus University

2 Producing the New Social practice-theoretical research ambitions Rising to the concrete is to produce empirical studies deeply informed with theory. Move beyond research tendencies of abstract theory Include socio-historical changes, changes in politics, economic and ideological conditions (Jean Lave, 2010,2011)

3 How do we develop gang prevention, intervention efforts and gang desistance in Denmark? We need to produce new We s (collaborations between former criminals, parents, social street workers, police, prison staff, wild youth, voluntary workers, students, social workers and researchers) to comprehensively understand: Paradoxes, contradictions, and changes in political forces and interest s at stake Dynamics of marginalisation in and across the involved communities of practice Expansive possibilities and changing the understandings of me, us and the others

4 Examples of paradoxes Even though gang conflicts have been escalating in Denmark since 2008, producing marginalisation, ethnic polarization and criminalizing of many young men, we do not have any university research. Only the research done within the ministery of Justice (by the police research office). Huge rise in biker-gangs support groups and new conflicts and killings, but no prevention and intervention in relation to groups (such as AK81, Hells Angels)

5 Grundvigs Højskoles gangseminars as boundary community Communities that overlap two or more groups and thereby offer new potentials for border crossing, boundary positions and collaboration among communities. (Mørck, 2011, 2006: 16-18) including different groups such as the social street workers, professionals from the established social system (prison, police, municipalities, established social work), media and local street communities of young men with ethnic minority, family members and relatives of young men involved in the present Danish gang conflict.

6 Activities between gang seminars ( ) Writing Outcomes (collaborations of workshop leaders, keynotes, and thesis students from DPU, Aarhus University) Political hearing at Christiansborg New voluntary groups: Our Youth, Former Gang members (TBM), Mothers Against Violence International exchange with gang researchers, professionals and Volunteers

7 Fields of change 1. More differentiated understandings and more reflected and critical media representations (Outcome, 2011) 2. Relations of Local police local community 3. Prison and gang exit 4. New groups of volunteers

8 1. Changes in gang understandings and media representations More differentiated understandings of biker gangs, geographic based groups and street gangs (Outcome, 2011) More reflected and critical police and media: Signs of change in the media representations of the gang conflict: celebrity critique, trying not to enhance enemy and gang production, less racialised gang discourse (Outcome, and Kim Kliver).

9 2. Police and local communities Signs of trust, change and recognition? Racialised differences in stop and search -zones produced anger and escalated conflicts Less long lasting zones and more focused use of stop and search practice New relations and new signs of recognition of the local police at Nørrebro. Common Workshop (Manchester: Tony & Trevor, DK: Rafik/Gadepulsen +, Marc og Jakob Vilner) Exchanges between Denmark-Manchester (involves police, politicians, social workers, students and volunteers)

10 3. Contradictions in prison - gang desistance Paradox: solitary confinement is the only alternative for inmates who wants to leave (biker)gangs New volunteer groups for former gang members (TBM, Michael Green). Presentations, and figthing for change. Participation in Grundtvig Højskoles gang seminar, 2010, was an important first step. Department of prison and. (Marie Louise) got4 million kr. to develop and improve exit possibilities within prisons.

11 4. New Mothers group, boundary positions and network Changes in gang conflicts. The role of rumours: More shooting to kill (not just to scare of / show power): Threats against brothers of gang members. Young men in the perifery have also been killed. Mothers against violence formed at the last seminar (2011), in collaboration with Søren Lerche, students and Line Lerche Mørck as researcher from DPU April, 2011: women in demonstration against violence (Mjølnerparken) Inspiration by and collaboration with Mothers against violence UK:

12 Litterature Lave, Læring, mesterlære, social praksis. Nielsen & Kvale (red.): Mesterlære. Læring som social praksis. Hans Reitzels Forlag, Lave, 2008 Situated Learning and Changing Practice. In Community, Economic Creativity, and Organization. Ash Amin and Joanne Roberts, eds. Pp Oxford: Oxford University Press. Lave, Changing Practice. Keynote, ISCAR, , Rome. Lihme & Soei (2011). Det brune spor. Politiken kronik 24 august. Møller-Andersen & Palm (2011): Outcome Bandeseminar Forebyggelse, bekæmpelse og exit af bandekriminalitet: Mørck, L. L. (2011). Studying Empowerment in a Socially and Ethnically Diverse Social Work Community in Copenhagen, Denmark. Ethos, 39(1), Mørck, Expansive Learning as Production of Community. National Society for the Study of Education 109(1): Mørck, (2006). Grænsefællesskaber Læring og overskridelse af marginalisering. Frederiksberg: Roskilde Universitetsforlag. Chapters in English: delseafmarginalisering/artiklerogboeger/