Not Afraid at All? Dominant and Alternative Interpretative Repertoires in Discourses of the Elderly on Fear of Crime

Abstract

This article demonstrates how a dominant and an alternative interpretative repertoire are activated and negotiated within two focus group discussions conducted with elderly people around the issue of fear of crime: the active, competent actor and the potential victim. In contrast to quantitative generalist studies that tend to neglect the ambiguity and complexity of group membership and identification, a contextualized, dynamic, and interactive understanding of the elderly – as well as of the victim – identity is presented.