ABSTRACT
The last chapter identified a number of important issues that are central to an understanding of hate crime. First, the various definitions of hate crime show that this form of offending isn’t always about hate but is predominantly about prejudice, of which hate is just a small part. It follows then that if we want to understand hate crime then we must first understand the nature of prejudice. This, however, is problematic. Just as there is little agreement about how we should define hate crime, so it is the same for prejudice. Jacobs and Potter (1998) point out that while prejudice has long been an object for study, sociologists and psychologists have been unable to agree on a single definition for it, nor agree on where it comes from or exactly what purpose it serves. Instead, we have a number of competing theories each seeking to explain the phenomenon in different ways, but none of them definitive or conclusive. The aim of this chapter is therefore to present an overview of current knowledge concerning the nature and origins of prejudice, and by doing so to highlight the inherent complexities surrounding the phenomenon and the difficulties this presents for understanding and responding to hate crime.
