"The Saints and The Roughnecks"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines "The Saints and The Roughnecks," written by George Washington University Professor, William J. Chambliss. It discusses the study through an examination of three sociological theories - social exchange theory, symbolic interactionism and conflict theory- and it discusses these both for the town of Hannibal and universally.

From the Paper:

"Finally, Conflict Theory may be the theory that can be best applied to Chambliss' observations of The Saints and The Roughnecks. In Hannibal, the Conflict Theory can be applied to the obvious struggle that existed between The Saints and The Roughnecks. A conflict between the two groups was the motivation behind the different ways in which the groups were treated. According to Chambliss, if the police were to treat The Saints and The Roughnecks in a similar manner they would be "asking for trouble from the people in power." Although the police did not make a conscious decision to discriminate on the basis of class, according to Chambliss, the social struggle was such a prominent theme in the town that the police did not recognize their discrimination."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Athens, Lonnie. Violent Criminal Acts and Actors Revisited. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1997.
• Chambliss, William J. "The Roughnecks and The Saints." Society. (1973): 24-31.
• Zafirovski, Milan. "Some Amendments to Social Exchange Theory: A Sociological Perspective." Theory and Science, 4.2 (2003): (n.p.).

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