The french connection in criminology: rediscovering crime, law and social change

Description

Brings the insights of postmodernism to the concerns of criminology and includes examples of how social theory can function in the real-world realm of criminal law. This is the first comprehensive, accessible, and integrative overview of postmodernism's contribution to law, criminology, and social justice. The book begins by reviewing the major contributions of eleven prominent figures responsible for the development of French postmodern social theory. This "first" wave includes Roland Barthes, Jean Baudrillard, Hélène Cixous, Gilles Deleuze, Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, Félix Guattari, Luce Irigaray, Julia Kristeva, Jacques Lacan, and Jean-François Lyotard. Their respective insights are then linked to "second" wave scholars who have appropriated their conceptualizations and applied them to pressing issues in law, crime, and social justice research. Compelling and concrete examples are provided for how affirmative and integrative postmodern inquiry can function meaningfully in the world of criminal justice. Topics explored include confinement law and prison resistance; critical race theory and a jurisprudence of color; media/literary studies and feminism; restorative justice and victim-offender mediation processes; and the emergence of social movements, including innocence projects and intentional communities. Introduction 1. Establishing the First Wave: The Linguistic Turn in Social Theory 2. Sustaining the First Wave: More on the Linguistic Turn in Social Theory 3. The Second Wave: Interpreting the Past, Building the Present, and Looking Toward the Future 4. Confinement Law and Prison Resistance: Applications in Critical Penology 5. Critical Race Theory and Postmodern Analysis: Strength in Dialectical Unity 6. Cinema and Literary Texts, Différance, and Social Justice Studies 7. Restorative Justice and Victim Offender Mediation: Towards a Transformative Praxis 8. Social Movements as Nonlinearity: On Innocence Projects and Intentional Communities Conclusion: Back to the Future: Rediscovering Crime, Law, and Social Change Notes References Index