The Whiteness of White Collar Crime: Race, Culture and White Collar Crime

• In Event: 600 - Section on Crime, Law and Deviance Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 08. Constructing Crime and Victimhood

Abstract

Sociologists have long been interested in explaining the overrepresentation of minorities in street crime. However, the role of race in explaining white collar crime has been neglected. We argue that changes in definitions of “culture” create a new understanding of the role of culture in crime that is compatible with understanding how race affects the development of a culture conducive to white collar crime. We propose that social isolation among whites, particularly when combined with financial advantage, blocks the development of empathy towards outgroups and increases feelings of individual entitlement. We argue that this contributes to cultural frames in which white collar crime is “less than fervently condemned.” We argue that whiteness plays a role that is independent of socio-economic status.

Authors

• Tracy Sohoni, College of William & Mary

• Melissa Rorie, University of Nevada-Las Vegas