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Progressive Justice in an Age of Repression provides a much-needed engagement with questions of justice and reform within the current phase of global capitalism, one that is marked not only by significant social inequality, but also political bifurcation. It offers guidance on progressive strategies for resistance.
It also extends criminological analysis by situating these contemporary challenges as globalized and inextricably linked to questions of political economy, law, and society. Bringing together an international selection of scholars, this book draws on a range of issues, such as immigration, street crime and the renewed push for "law and order," violence against women, environmental injustice, assaults on health care and social services, and the unleashing of private corporate exploitation of natural resources. It is a clarion for strategic thinking, a call for action fuelled by informed analysis, and a reimagining of the progressive society that is under attack by Trumpism, populism, and a rising right.
This is an important read for those who teach and study criminology, deviance and social control, social problems, legal studies, political science, and policy studies. It is also a useful resource for practitioners, community-based activists, and policy makers seeking new ways of thinking critically about crime, law, and social control.
List of contents
Introduction: responding to repression (Walter S. DeKeseredy) 1. By why this man?: challenging hegemonic masculinity in an age of repression (Walter S. DeKeseredy) 2. Why the left must change: right-wing populism in context (Simon Winlow, Steve Hall and James Treadwell) 3. Social change and drugs: rural America and the Rise of Donald Trump (Joseph F. Donnermeyer) 4. Getting crime right: framing everyday violence in the age of Trump (Elliott Currie) 5. The limits of police reform (Alex S. Vitale) 6. What would a just justice system look like? (Sandra Walklate) 7. Corporate criminality and resisting financial and securities frauds (Gregg Barak) 8. Beyond the ricochets: unpacking the modern gun culture and its political stalemate (Peter Squires) 9. Abortion politics and the persistence of patriarchy (Meda Chesney-Lind) 10. Resisting ecocide: engaging in the politics of the future (Rob White) 11. Youth for social justice in an age of youth expendability (Randy Myers and Tim Goddard) 12. What’s wrong with American criminal justice reform? (Sonya Goshe) 13. Continuity of American xenophobia under Trump and plausible alternatives (James Diego Vigil and Nativo Lopez Vigil) Epilogue: pitfalls and possibilities (Elliott Currie)
About the author
Walter S. DeKeseredy is the Anna Deane Carlson Endowed Chair of Social Sciences, Director of the Research Center on Violence, and Professor of Sociology at West Virginia University, USA.
Elliott Currie is Professor of Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California, Irvine, USA.
Summary
The book provides a much-needed engagement with questions of justice and reform and extends criminological analysis by situating these contemporary challenges as globalized and inextricably linked to questions of political economy, law, and society.
Additional text
"This volume offers sober analysis of the deep socio-political roots triggering today’s repressive crime control policies. The contributors show the dangers of complacency and the urgent need for progressive resistance. Masterfully edited by Walter DeKeseredy and Elliott Currie, this book is essential reading for anyone seeking guidance on how to advance a more humane justice system within an era defined by the Trump presidency."
Francis T. Cullen, Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus, University of Cincinnati
"Reading this book provoked many thoughts about the enormity of the challenges posed across a whole spectrum of crime-related issues. However, it was also a reminder of the expertise and commitment to change that exists in the criminological community. A beacon of light in dark times."
Tony Jefferson, Professor Emeritus, Keele University
