Notes on law and police occupational culture in Brazil’s Military Polices

This research discusses the relations between law and police culture in the context of Brazil’s Military Polices, aiming to contribute both to discussions about these corporations’ non-compliance with legal standards and to socio-legal knowledge on policing. Pierre Bourdieu’s conceptualization of th...

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Main Author: Julia Maia Goldani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law 2021-12-01
Series:Oñati Socio-Legal Series
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Online Access:https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/1340
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author Julia Maia Goldani
author_facet Julia Maia Goldani
author_sort Julia Maia Goldani
collection DOAJ
description This research discusses the relations between law and police culture in the context of Brazil’s Military Polices, aiming to contribute both to discussions about these corporations’ non-compliance with legal standards and to socio-legal knowledge on policing. Pierre Bourdieu’s conceptualization of the juridical field, along with Erving Goffman’s theory of interaction rituals, are used to design a qualitative exploratory study that combines semi-structured interviews with lower-rank officers and observation of criminal trials in which these participated as witnesses. Due to COVID-19, methods were adapted to online platforms. The analysis suggests that Brazil’s juridical field structurally conditions the development of its police culture, although not in the ways intended. Additionally, law appears as an important symbolic figure in the construction of the officers’ occupational selves, and it is argued that contact with legal institutions engenders particular strategies of self-presentation, aimed at safeguarding both appearances and internal ideas about the profession.
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spelling doaj-art-2da9f97f6bb6431b9c9631c64630e94c2025-08-20T02:23:35ZengOñati International Institute for the Sociology of LawOñati Socio-Legal Series2079-59712021-12-011161463149110.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-12002154Notes on law and police occupational culture in Brazil’s Military PolicesJulia Maia Goldani0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3924-4451Fundação Getúlio Vargas - Doctoral Programme in Law and Development & Research Center on Crime and PunishmentThis research discusses the relations between law and police culture in the context of Brazil’s Military Polices, aiming to contribute both to discussions about these corporations’ non-compliance with legal standards and to socio-legal knowledge on policing. Pierre Bourdieu’s conceptualization of the juridical field, along with Erving Goffman’s theory of interaction rituals, are used to design a qualitative exploratory study that combines semi-structured interviews with lower-rank officers and observation of criminal trials in which these participated as witnesses. Due to COVID-19, methods were adapted to online platforms. The analysis suggests that Brazil’s juridical field structurally conditions the development of its police culture, although not in the ways intended. Additionally, law appears as an important symbolic figure in the construction of the officers’ occupational selves, and it is argued that contact with legal institutions engenders particular strategies of self-presentation, aimed at safeguarding both appearances and internal ideas about the profession.https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/1340police culturesociology of lawmilitary polices of brazilpierre bourdieuerving goffmancultura policialsociología jurídicapolicías militares de brasil
spellingShingle Julia Maia Goldani
Notes on law and police occupational culture in Brazil’s Military Polices
Oñati Socio-Legal Series
police culture
sociology of law
military polices of brazil
pierre bourdieu
erving goffman
cultura policial
sociología jurídica
policías militares de brasil
title Notes on law and police occupational culture in Brazil’s Military Polices
title_full Notes on law and police occupational culture in Brazil’s Military Polices
title_fullStr Notes on law and police occupational culture in Brazil’s Military Polices
title_full_unstemmed Notes on law and police occupational culture in Brazil’s Military Polices
title_short Notes on law and police occupational culture in Brazil’s Military Polices
title_sort notes on law and police occupational culture in brazil s military polices
topic police culture
sociology of law
military polices of brazil
pierre bourdieu
erving goffman
cultura policial
sociología jurídica
policías militares de brasil
url https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/1340
work_keys_str_mv AT juliamaiagoldani notesonlawandpoliceoccupationalcultureinbrazilsmilitarypolices