City Politics: Fear of Crime and Fear of Cultural Difference

Your essay should be between 500-750 words. This is roughly 4-5 “normal length” paragraphs. For context, the paragraphs below each question are about 100 words and five to six sentences long. Try to be succinct and avoid repeating points you have already made in the essay.
*The exam is non-cumulative, but if you would like to include information from the first half of the term in the essays, you are allowed to do so.
2) Law, crime, and disorder are central to city politics. However, as we have seen, these issues can sometimes be “used” by certain groups to advance their own interests. The “fear of crime” and “fear of cultural difference” are potent forces in local politics. What is at stake in debates over crime, disorder, and the regulation of daily life in multicultural cities like Toronto? How can social scientists inform these debates through careful research? Be nuanced in your answers and discuss specific examples of how conflicts over crime and disorder are “socially constructed.”
*Please carefully read the slides and lecture notes for week 9 and 10 and make sure you are clear on what is meant by social constructionism before attempting to answer this question. We do not advise using “conventional” or “mainstream” understandings of crime and disorder in your response.