Criminalización, arbitrariedad y doble militancia. La policía y la violencia en el fútbol argentino.

Soccer matches are just one of many scenarios that are perceived to be insecure and violent in Argentine society. For more than thirty years, public opinion has defined them as an important social problem. And it has identified a specific social group, categorized as barras bravas, to be almost enti...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Gastón Julián Gil.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidad de los Andes 2008-12-01
Series:Revista de Estudios Sociales
Subjects:
Online Access:http://res.uniandes.edu.co/view.php/567/1.php
Description
Summary:Soccer matches are just one of many scenarios that are perceived to be insecure and violent in Argentine society. For more than thirty years, public opinion has defined them as an important social problem. And it has identified a specific social group, categorized as barras bravas, to be almost entirely responsible for “destroying the festivities [of the soccer matches] for everyone.” In this way, the state agencies that formally exercise social control encourage this process of criminalization, which reduces the complexity of a phenomenon that goes beyond simple definitions or explanations. In this context, the police forces acquire a “parallel punitive power,” themselves becoming key agents in the generation of violence in football stadiums. Far from fulfilling their supposed function of guaranteeing security, the police help create the violent atmosphere in which these fans identify it as the principal enemy to combat.
ISSN:0123-885X
1900-5180