The St Vincent de Paul Society is involved in a variety of activities aimed at raising funds, promoting the Catholic faith and heightening awareness of the issues with which we are most concerned.
SEMINAR: POLICY AS CATHARSIS - 10 April 2008, 4pm
Dr Rowland Atkinson will share his current research on 'Policy as Catharsis'. He considers how the process of policymaking and public intervention can be seen as vents for deep social emotions, particularly those focused on anxiety and fear. He argues that public policy, operating in this mode of catharsis, or public release, can be seen as a release from a range of issues including urban crime and disorder, dangerous ‘others’ and intransigent problems. The result has been the implementation and intensification of aggressive policies resulting in either the displacement or exclusion of these social problems and problem people.
