Ian Hacking and the Abused Child. From the Police Station to the Philosophy Departement

Journal title PARADIGMI
Author/s Andrée Bella
Publishing Year 2011 Issue 2011/1 Language Italian
Pages 11 P. 175-185 File size 270 KB
DOI 10.3280/PARA2011-001011
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The paper presents some important aspects of Hacking’s work in the epistemology of mental sciences, focusing on the notion of "child abuse". The history of this label and the progressive medicalization of the notion are an example of the circularity in the classifications made by the human sciences. By a mechanism of interaction between experts and the public, starting from the 1960, "child abuse" has referred to an increasing number of behaviours, and has presently become a sort of taboo on which public and mediatic attention is focused, and the cause of important sociocultural changes.

Keywords: Child abuse, Concept Formation, Medical model, Sexual Abuse, Social Constructionism, Sociology of Knowledge

Andrée Bella, Ian Hacking e il bambino abusato. Dalla prefettura di polizia al dipartimento di filosofia in "PARADIGMI" 1/2011, pp 175-185, DOI: 10.3280/PARA2011-001011