Contemporary Criminological Theory

Book excerpt: This book offers a critical introduction to trends and developments in contemporary criminological theory. Designed both as a companion to An Introduction to Criminological Theory – also by Roger Hopkins Burke and published by Routledge – and as a standalone advanced textbook, it develops themes introduced previously in more detail, incorporates new critical and radical concepts and explores cutting-edge advances in theory. Key topics include the following: • Constitutive, anarchist, green and species, bio-critical, cultural, abolitionist and convict criminologies • Globalization and organized crime • Southern theory • Critical race theory • Terrorism and state violence • Gender, feminism and masculinity • Ultra-realism • Radical moral communitarianism These key issues are discussed in the context of debates about the fragmentation of modernity and the postmodern condition; the rise of political populism, risk, surveillance and social control, and speculation about living in post-COVID-19 society and the future of neoliberalism. Written in a clear and direct style, this book will appeal to both undergraduate and postgraduate students of criminology, sociology and politics and is essential reading for advanced students of criminology looking for a way to engage with contemporary themes and concepts in theory.