The moral criteria of justice on the social representations of “(in)security” in a group of workers in the fish industry of Mar del Plata

Abstract

This article explores the behavior and moral criteria that workers in the fishing industry in Mar del Plata use to describe, explain, and evaluate the concept of insecurity, focusing on how the notions of crime, responsibility, and criminal sanction are articulated. Based on a qualitative analysis of clinical-critical interviews, the study reveals a prevalence of social representations aligned with retributive justice, where the violation of the normative order is seen as deserving of punishment. However, internal tensions and ambivalences are also observed, suggesting the coexistence of retributive and distributive views of justice. These observations highlight the complex interactions between dominant representations of insecurity and morality, offering insight into the ways in which justice is constructed and legitimized among vulnerable sectors of the working class.