The Logic of Violence: An ethnography of Dublin's Illegal Drug Trade

Speaker: Dr Brendan Marsh, Queen's University Belfast

Chaired by Dr Niall Hamilton-Smith, University of Stirling

Abstract: Brendan will speak about his book, The Logic of Violence: An ethnography of Dublin's Illegal Drug Trade, which was recently awarded the British Society of Criminology Book Prize. This book is the first ethnographic study of an illegal drug market in Dublin and it explores the perceived causes and functions of violence in an illegal drug market in Dublin City, Ireland.

Understanding why violence occurs amongst participants in illegal drug markets is an ongoing part of the criminological endeavour. Scholars debate the various business and personal factors that contribute towards violent perpetration. Complex aspects of participants’ lives, such as addictive disorders, socioeconomic status, and socialisation, add further complexity.

This book examines violence in an illegal drug market from the perspectives of those who had participated in it, that is, formerly addicted people as well as former profit-oriented drug dealers.

Bio: Brendan Marsh is a Marie Curie Research Fellow in the School of Social Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast. His areas of interest are violence and illegal drug markets, desistance from crime, and processes of religious and political radicalisation that lead to violence.

Please note the Zoom link to attend this meeting will be sent to attendees nearer the time of the Seminar.

SCCJR Seminar Series: Dr Brendan Marsh