http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/rss/books/RSS.xml The latest new books in Criminology en-us Sat, 25 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT 1440 http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo14637101.html The subject of murder has always held a particular fascination for us. But, since at least the nineteenth century, we have seen the murderer as different from the ordinary citizen—a special individual, like an artist or a genius, who exists apart from the moral majority, a sovereign self who obeys only the destructive urge, sometimes even commanding cult followings. In contemporary culture, we continue to believe that there is something different and exceptional about killers, but is the murderer such a distinctive type? Are they degenerate beasts or supermen as they have been depicted on the page and the screen? Or are murderers something else entirely?In The Subject of Murder, Lisa Downing explores the ways in which the figure of the murderer has been made to signify a specific kind of social subject in Western modernity. Drawing on the work of Foucault in her studies of the lives and crimes of killers in Europe and the United States, Downing interrogates the meanings of media and texts produced about and by murderers. Upending the usual treatment of murderers as isolated figures or exceptional individuals, Downing argues that they are ordinary people, reflections of our society at the intersections of gender, agency, desire, and violence. <div>The subject of murder has always held a particular fascination for us. But, since at least the nineteenth century, we have seen the murderer as different from the ordinary citizen&mdash;a special individual, like an artist or a genius, who exists apart from the moral majority, a sovereign self who obeys only the destructive urge, sometimes even commanding cult followings. In contemporary culture, we continue to believe that there is something different and exceptional about killers, but is the murderer such a distinctive type? Are they degenerate beasts or supermen as they have been depicted on the page and the screen? Or are murderers something else entirely?<br></div><div>In <i>The Subject of Murder</i>, Lisa Downing explores the ways in which the figure of the murderer has been made to signify a specific kind of social subject in Western modernity. Drawing on the work of Foucault in her studies of the lives and crimes of killers in Europe and the United States, Downing interrogates the meanings of media and texts produced about and by murderers. Upending the usual treatment of murderers as isolated figures or exceptional individuals, Downing argues that they are ordinary people, reflections of our society at the intersections of gender, agency, desire, and violence.</div><br> Criminology Culture Studies Gender and Sexuality Wed, 01 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT Lisa Downing 9780226003405 http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/H/bo15531102.html Young people who come into contact with police officers on the streets of Britain today have little idea of the significance of the stabbing death of Stephen Lawrence in 1993. Only their parents or grandparents remember the daily news stories for several months following the stabbing of police incompetence and racism. This unique book reminds us of the importance of the Stephen Lawrence case, providing an insider’s view of the inquiry into his murder.&#160;Presenting never-before-seen information about the Stephen Lawrence inquiry, panel member Richard Stone helps explain why it has not brought sufficient results, and why it has failed to change institutional racism. Using the case as a springboard, he discusses wider contemporary issues—such as policing practices and double-jeopardy rulings—and the lessons we can learn from the many details of the case that have otherwise been buried. Hardhitting and full of insights, this book makes essential reading for academics, students, researchers, and anyone interested in crime, police, and institutional racism. <div>Young people who come into contact with police officers on the streets of Britain today have little idea of the significance of the stabbing death of Stephen Lawrence in 1993. Only their parents or grandparents remember the daily news stories for several months following the stabbing of police incompetence and racism. This unique book reminds us of the importance of the Stephen Lawrence case, providing an insider&rsquo;s view of the inquiry into his murder.<br>&#160;</div><div>Presenting never-before-seen information about the Stephen Lawrence inquiry, panel member Richard Stone helps explain why it has not brought sufficient results, and why it has failed to change institutional racism. Using the case as a springboard, he discusses wider contemporary issues&mdash;such as policing practices and double-jeopardy rulings&mdash;and the lessons we can learn from the many details of the case that have otherwise been buried. Hardhitting and full of insights, this book makes essential reading for academics, students, researchers, and anyone interested in crime, police, and institutional racism.</div> Criminology Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT Richard Stone 9781447308485