NCJ Number
148440
Journal
Criminology Volume: 32 Issue: 2 Dated: (May 1994) Pages: 221-246
Date Published
1994
Length
26 pages
Annotation
These authors explore some of the tensions and intersections between postmodernism and criminology, with a particular emphasis on the implications of this discussion for formulating responses to various forms of violence.
Abstract
They argue that postmodern thought has relevance for criminology and is linked most closely to critical criminology. Postmodernist theory offers a method that can reveal how knowledge is constituted and can expose pretensions and contradictions of traditional scholarship, offering an alternative to linear analysis. Furthermore, postmodernism can highlight the significance of language and signs in the arena of crime and criminal justice. Finally, postmodern thought provides a source of metaphors and concepts that capture elements of an emerging reality and the new context and set of conditions in which crime occurs. 13 notes and 117 references