Intraracial Violence

Theoretical Explanations

The causes of intraracial violence are complex, often resulting from a variety of interacting social and individual factors. Therefore, intraracial violence takes many forms, from simple property crimes to more aggressive crimes such as rape and homicide between known, unknown, domestic, or otherwise relational others. Thus, explanations for violence within racial groups come from a number of perspectives.

One explanation found in the literature is the macrostructural perspective. According to this perspective, racial residential segregation, labor market factors, and the political economic factors within communities differentially coincide with competition. Violence within racial groups is conceptualized as a by-product of marginalizing economic conditions. As individuals experience strain and economic deprivation, criminal activity is presumed to be a reaction to unfulfilled expectations of justice and equity. Therefore, researchers have tried to more precisely identify which economic conditions create a context for violence. Racial groups that experience blocked opportunities in the economic sphere (i.e., discrimination, relative deprivation) are also likely to experience vast resource deprivation and social isolation (i.e., multiple disadvantages). One hypothesis is that severe material deprivation and absolute poverty intensify the struggle for survival. Therefore, local opportunity structures–measured by changing employment opportunities over time–are considered to play a role in mediating the potential for strain and violence.

A second explanation is social disorganization theory. According to this theory, deteriorating structural conditions lead to social disorganization, which, in turn, accounts for intraracial violence. From this perspective, violence results from the inability of racial groups to realize their common values and maintain effective social control. Instabilities among families, such as lack of congruency in shared values and attitudes, lack of emotional cohesion, deviant beliefs, and poor parenting practices, or among neighborhoods (a lack of social cohesion) impede the group's ability to develop and promote problem-solving strategies.

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