Enacting the sacred: nation and difference in the comparative sociology of the police

The Policeman in the Community by Michael Banton is viewed as a seminal work in the Anglo-American sociological study of the police. This article – which draws on and cites a personal dialogue with Banton himself sets this work in context by outlining the intellectual formation of its author in the 1950s, before setting out the main theoretical and methodological aspects of this study. It is argued that the idea of sacredness is established through Banton’s Durkheimian approach and anthropological methods and, in particular, through the dichotomization of Britain and the USA. This is shown to rely upon a number of key contrasts between nations. As well as arguing that the comparative method employed is itself productive of the sacred/profane contrast, I aim to suggest how Banton’s ideas have been influential in police studies. However, it is also argued that Banton is ultimately ambivalent about the value of sacred status.