La criminalite en france : le phenomene homicide dans la famille en seine-inferieure de 1811 a 1900 : justice, structures sociales et comportements criminels

The criminality in france : the homicide in the family in seine-inferieure from 1811 to 1900. justice, social structure and criminal behaviour

• Auteur / Autrice : Gemma Gagnon
• Direction : André Burguière
• Type : Thèse de doctorat
• Discipline(s) : Histoire
• Date : Soutenance en 1996
• Etablissement(s) : Paris, EHESS

Résumé

Dans cette these, la violence familiale est examinee sous l'angle de l'homicide. Il s'agit d'explorer les causes, le contexte, les circonstances et le profil des protagonistes qui comparaissent aux assises de seine-inferieure, de 1811 a 1900. L'ensemble des actes punis par le code penal sont etudies, soit le parricide, l'homicide conjugal, l'avortement, l'infanticide, les sevices a enfants. Les themes et l'eclairage privilegies relevent de l'anthropologie historique, ce qui explique la place accordee aux comportements culturels, au dimorphisme sexuel des crimes, au reseau familial et a l'inceste. Le probleme de la violence est ancien et favorise par des modeles culturels qui tolerent la brutalite comme moyen de communication entre les personnes. Les victimes sont souvent des femmes et des enfants, en raison des inegalites sociales qui augmentent leur vulnerabilite et limite leur acces aux armes. L'homicide est sexue. Les hommes tuent leurs conjointes et des enfants adultes tandis que les femmes visent les jeunes enfants. La definition locale des qualites fondant l'honneur influencent le recours a la brutalite ou son rejet. La violence ne se resorbe pas au 20e siecle. Les crimes feminins diminuent mais les crimes masculins se repandent et s'aggravent avec l'isolement urbain et le recul de l'intervention collective sur les comportements individuels. Les incestes et les agressions sexuelles sont des crimes masculins. La violence masculine est plus excusee, comme leur ivrognerie, contrairement aux femmes. La repression judiciaire est marquee par une conception rigide des roles sexuels et de la place des categories sociales.

In this dissertation, family violence is examined from the perspective of homicide. It explores the causes, context, and circumstances of these crimes, as well, as the profile of the protagonists appearing before the judiciary of seine-inferieure (france) from 1811 to 1900. All related crimes under the penal code are included in the study : parricide, spousal homicide, abortion, infanticide and child abuse. The perspective employed is that of historical anthropology. In consequence, analytic emphasis is placed on cultural behaviour, gender specificity, the roles of family tries, and incest. Domestic violence is an ancient problem, which is favoured by cultural paradigms that validate, or at least tolerate, brutality as a means of inter-personal communication. Women and children are most often the victims of such crimes, by virtue of the social inequality which increases their vulnerability, as well as limiting their access of firearms. Homicide is thus strongly gender-influenced. Domestic brutality was not curbed in the 19th century, even though the number of crimes committed by the women decreased. Meanwhile, crimes committed by men seemed to expand, influenced by the increased license granted by the effects of urban anonimity and the privatisation of the nuclear family. In the 19th century, one finds judicial repression characterised by rigid definitions of gender roles and the stratification of social roles in the community.