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  • © 2016

Crime, Prisons and Viscous Culture

Adventures in Criminalized Identities

Palgrave Macmillan

Authors:

  • Advances the idea of viscous culture and its relevance for criminology
  • Explores the transdisciplinary nature of criminology
  • Based on extensive empirical research with participants

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Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiv
  2. Once Upon a Time

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. Introduction

      • Finola Farrant
      Pages 3-26
    3. Introducing the Men

      • Finola Farrant
      Pages 49-55
  3. Criminalized Lifestyles

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 57-57
    2. Outlaws and Gangsters

      • Finola Farrant
      Pages 59-78
  4. Prison Experiences

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 101-101
    2. Comics and the Gothic

      • Finola Farrant
      Pages 103-124
    3. Ghosts, Monsters and Hulk

      • Finola Farrant
      Pages 125-145
  5. Becoming an Ex-Prisoner

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 147-147
    2. Shapeshifting Identities

      • Finola Farrant
      Pages 149-166
    3. Metamorphosis, Trickster and Werewolf

      • Finola Farrant
      Pages 167-187
  6. Conclusion

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 189-189
    2. Towards a Viscous Understanding of Culture

      • Finola Farrant
      Pages 191-206
  7. Back Matter

    Pages 207-230

About this book

This unique book explores criminalized identities and the idea of 'viscous culture' to provide new understandings of crime, punishment and justice.  It shows that viscous culture encourages some of us to become outlaws, monsters or shapeshifters who challenge systems of domination and forces of control. 

Crime, Prisons and Viscous Culture interweaves analyses of popular culture with extensive empirical research to explore both the glamorous and grotesque nature of crime, control and containment. Through encounters with numerous popular and mythological archetypes the book explores the boundaries of the criminological discipline. Criminology itself is presented as  fragmented, distorted and fascinating, and the important transdisciplinary potential of criminology is highlighted. In doing so, this book will be of great interest to scholars of criminology, cultural studies, popular culture and sociological theory.

Reviews

Crime, Prisons and Viscous Culture is an “unapologetically eclectic” read that, like the shapeshifting identities it explores, defies conventional categorization.  In her careful examination of the points where crime meets popular culture in the narratives of convicted offenders, Finola Farrant takes us on a dazzling journey through myth, movies, fairytales and folklore. Erudite, ambitious, lively and continually thought-provoking, this is a rare academic work that grips your attention from beginning to end.” (Yvonne Jewkes, Research Professor in Criminology, University of Brighton, UK)

Authors and Affiliations

  • University of Roehampton, London, United Kingdom

    Finola Farrant

About the author

Finola Farrant is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at University of Roehampton, UK. Prior to academia she worked as a criminal justice practitioner, researcher and in policy and campaigns. Her main areas of research interest include: penology, popular culture, gender and identity, and life story methodologies.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 89.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access