Violence and public health: Theoretical contributions from the social sciences to the discussion about deviation

Abstract

Public Health and the Human and Social Sciences are inseparable fields of knowledge, as attested by a tradition of research groups and research lines located in Public Health post-graduate programs. Several difficulties have been pointed when discussions about various themes traditionally identified with the social sciences, as is the case of violence, are inserted in the health field. At the same time, such discussions are considered essential to the understanding of the de-termination of populations' health conditions and quality of life. The discussion focus regarding this phenomenon lacks theoretical contributions from other disciplines, such as Sociology, whose theories on crime and deviance constitute an important bench-mark in the study of the various forms of violence. In this article, the author examines the classic sociological theories in this area, aiming to contribute to the expansion of discussion in the field of Public Health, particularly in terms of a knowledge base to be applied to health promotion, crime prevention and rehabilitation, thus considering Public Health from an inter-disciplinary, intersectorial perspective.