Material Type  

 학위논문

 

0016935623

Date and Time of Latest Transaction  

20240214101957

ISBN  

9798380373463

DDC  

301

Author  

Hawks, Albert L., Jr.

Title/Author  

The Devils Justice: Tacit Aesthetic Knowledge and the Absence of Evidence in the WestMemphis Three Murder Trial - [electronic resource]

Publish Info  

[S.l.] : University of Michigan., 2023

Publish Info  

Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 2023

Material Info  

1 online resource(220 p.)

General Note  

Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 85-03, Section: A.

General Note  

Advisor: Gocek, Fatma.

학위논문주기  

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Michigan, 2023.

Restrictions on Access Note  

This item must not be sold to any third party vendors.

Restrictions on Access Note  

This item must not be added to any third party search indexes.

Abstracts/Etc  

요약On May 5, 1993, three eight-year-old boys were reported missing to the West Memphis Police in Arkansas. They were found dead the next day, partially submerged in Robin Hood Hills Creek, a small green space popular with local kids. The ensuing "West Memphis Three" homicide trial resulted in one death sentence, two life terms, twenty years of civil action. At the heart of the case was the conviction of three teenagers for the murders with virtually no physical evidence and salacious allegations of Satanic Ritual Abuse, a conviction that is widely viewed as a substantial breakdown of the ideal flow of the justice system. This dissertation critically examines how and why the Satanic Panic narrative came to dominate the construction of justice in West Memphis. Analyzing contemporaneous news, court documents, and interviews with involved social actors, this dissertation first provides a critical narrative of the investigation, trial, and activism that followed and in doing so, demonstrate that a powerful narrative of satanic cult activity derailed the flow of justice.In particular, I first demonstrate that in the face of a heinous crime, the ensuing moral panic fueled by misinformation, rumors, fear, and mistrust demanded a narrative that maintained the existing symbolic universe. This need also made traditional explanations insufficient. As such, a global narrative about satanic cults provided an able substitute, offering moral and emotional clarity, reifying moral boundaries, and absolving the community. Second, I then examine how this global narrative was then tied to three local teenagers via what I call tacit aesthetic knowledge about the teens' tastes and appearances, even when such knowledge contradicted known facts. This tacit aesthetic knowledge also allowed non-traditional experts and wider civil society members to insert themselves as 'legal witnesses' for a period of prolonged activism.I situate my work in a social constructivist context with a particular eye toward cultural narrative construction. I ultimately demonstrate that the Satanic Panic Narrative came to dominate the construction of the West Memphis Three trial because of moral panic in a local community which necessitated a narrative that met the dramaturgical needs of the community. Thus, the purpose of the ensuing investigation and trial transcended the application of law and was more heavily aimed to restoring moral order by prosecuting monsters. The community specifically developed and tied this narrative to the West Memphis three through powerful affective logic rooted in tacit aesthetic knowledge.My contributions are as follows. First, I apply a sociological lens to the West Memphis Three trial, explaining how and why the Satanic Panic narrative came to dominate the construction of legal justice in West Memphis. Second, I contribute nuance to discussions about how legal justice is socially constructed in extreme criminal cases. Theoretically, I contribute by developing and articulating the concept of tacit aesthetic knowledge.

Subject Added Entry-Topical Term  

Sociology.

Subject Added Entry-Topical Term  

Aesthetics.

Subject Added Entry-Topical Term  

Criminology.

Index Term-Uncontrolled  

Cultural sociology

Index Term-Uncontrolled  

Social construction

Index Term-Uncontrolled  

Moral panic

Index Term-Uncontrolled  

Satanism

Index Term-Uncontrolled  

Tacit aesthetic knowledge

Added Entry-Corporate Name  

University of Michigan Sociology

Host Item Entry  

Dissertations Abstracts International. 85-03A.

Host Item Entry  

Dissertation Abstract International

Electronic Location and Access  

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소장사항  

202402 2024

Control Number  

joongbu:641275