Violence and women in organised crime in Poland after 1989 in selected media narratives
Violence and women in organised crime in Poland after 1989 in selected media narratives

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to present the image of women and violence against them in the context of their role and presence in the structures of organised crime in Poland after 1989. Organised crime is one of the frequently used topics in cinematography or television series, which are very popular among the public. It should be emphasized that journalistic publications, in particular articles and books that document the phenomenon of organized crime are no less popular. The bestseller on the Polish publishing market was the record of conversations with the best-known and media-related key witness, which began a series of books on the subject of other criminals. Some stereotypical narrative tropes were found in portraying women in organised crime in the context of violence. For this purpose a book of former gangster and key witness and journalist was analyzed in terms of the threshold value of the event, predictability, violence or pageantry, which are one of the 12 criteria of the information value proposed by the researchers. Despite the continued strong stereotyping of women in mafia structures, more and more stories focusing on women. Sexuality is one of the most visible criteria and some kind of narrative in the book. Focusing on the other criteria of information value, it is worth emphasizing the occurrence of intimacy, violence, performance and pictorial representations in the book. Organised crime in Poland was a new phenomenon in the early 1990s. The interest in the role of women in the Polish crime stemmed from the fact that the image of organised crime created thus far by the media was reserved exclusively for men. Feminine topic has become a trend because of its freshness and unconventional approach to the mafia, especially in Poland.

• Details
• Contents