Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

The concept of a benefit zone refers to a social zone or space in which residents in the zone possess a unique opportunity to consume and enjoy various goods that are refused to those living outside of the zone. In direct contrast, in the victimized zone those inside are deprived of opportunities to satisfy their needs. In other words, a victimized zone is defined by the imposition of various external negatives (e.g., pollution and industrial diseases). Whereas the entry to a benefit zone has a barrier to keep others from getting in, a victimized zone is surrounded by a barrier to prevent victims from getting out. In this way, “the handicapped” become “the deprived” when they are refused entry to a benefit zone or they cannot escape from a victimized zone. Empirical studies that use this theoretical perspective comprise one of the origins of Japanese environmental sociology. According to the group that developed these concepts, the theory of benefit and victimized zones belongs, in Merton's sense, to the “sociological theory of the middle range.” This methodological orientation has contributed to the creation of these new concepts through case studies in contemporary Japanese society. The concept of benefit and victimized zones provides a useful theoretical framework for analyzing characteristics of various social problems, the process of social conflict, and the possibility and ... log in or subscribe to read full text