CSSLRV researcher Danielle Sutton, also a PhD candidate in Sociological Criminology, is one of the contributors to a recently-released book called Homicide and Violent Crime, part of an Emerald Publishing book series. Edited by Mathieu Deflem, University of South Carolina, Sutton’s chapter is called, “Durkheim, Totemism, and the Manson Family: Theorizing on the Relationship Between Religion and Violence.” Although the Manson family murders were committed more than 40 years ago, they continue to spark public discussion and fascination as to how one man could exert such power over a group of individuals leading them to engage in behaviors that would have unlikely occurred without his influence. Despite the continued public fascination with the Manson murders, only a few studies have used a sociological theory to explain them and none have used a religious framework. To address this gap, Sutton collected primary multimedia files with a central focus on illuminating the family’s perspective and analyzed them using two religious frameworks.
Review her findings, learn more about the religious frameworks, and review the book.
