Conceptualising ConTrol and Violence

Description

CCTV is a research group at the Department of Social Work, dedicated to deepening our understanding of violence and control. We explore how these phenomena are defined, legitimized, and enacted in everyday life, in institutional settings, and through legal and policy frameworks.

We approach both violence and control in a wide sense. Violence can for instance be understood in terms of physical, psychological, structural, and symbolic forms of harm. Control includes the mechanisms, practices, and logics that regulate behavior, restrict freedoms, and maintain social order. It can be investigated from at least two perspectives: 1) the control that co-exists when violence is executed: 2) the control exercised by welfare and criminal justice agents to address problems relating to violence.

CCTV combines critical empirical inquiry with conceptual and theoretical development. By interrogating and refining key concepts, we aim to strengthen the analytical tools used to understand how violence and control shape lives, institutions, and societies.

We welcome engagement from researchers who share our interest in critically examining the relationship between violence and control. CCTV provides a platform for seminars, collaborative projects, and knowledge exchange.

The group is coordinated jointly by Maritha Jacobsson and Stefan Sjöström