Crime Mapping and Explanatory Power: Implications of Mapping Xenophobic Violence

• In Event: Innovations in Spatial Analysis

Abstract

The growing popularity of crime mapping has many criminologists engaged in research that measures the influence of place on the occurrence of deviant or criminal behavior. With the use of spatial analytic methods, researchers measure the direct causal effects of varying ecological conditions on the occurrence of such behavior. These studies involve the use of weighting schemes and discussions of explanatory power. Despite these studies, our use, understanding, production and application of maps are still largely superficial and uncritical. This study maps xenophobic violence in Johannesburg, South Africa, using geo-coded data collected via a national crowdsourcing platform called Xenowatch. Exploratory spatial data analysis was conducted to determine hot-spots of xenophobic violence in Johannesburg. Utilizing geo-coded data from the 2011 South African Census and the 2016 Crime Statistics, negative binomial regression analyses were conducted to measure the influence of structural characteristics on the occurrence of xenophobic violence within hot-spots. This study then focuses on the implications of research findings for our understanding of xenophobic violence, and crime more broadly. It discusses pitfalls in interpretation and offers suggestions for ways forward, arguing for the use of more critically informed mapping of crime.

Author

• Alexandra Hiropoulos, California State University, Stanislaus