Keywords in Criminology

Taking inspiration from the classic text by Raymond Williams, Keywords in Criminology reflects on the language used by criminologists and offers a one?stop guide to core concepts in the discipline. Written for the budding Criminology student, it offers a specialized but plain dictionary for a specialized discipline.

From Abolitionism to Xenophobia, the entries unveil the ambiguities and conflicting interpretations of the concepts discussed, and explore their historical context, their analytical use, adoption or critical rejection. The original formulation of each concept is examined along with the practices the concept has shaped, and the favourable and unfavourable outcomes it has generated.

Keywords in Criminology is a handy and pithy companion for any Criminology student. It offers excellent supplementary reading for core courses on criminological, social and cultural theory.

'Emulating Raymond Williams' classic text, first published in 1976, Ruggiero's Keywords in Criminology excels. Its content deliberately prioritizes words open to competing interpretation. Entries on excrements, evil, harm, beauty and pleasure, war, for example, are excavated shining a bright light on his classical scholarship and his grasp of art and literature. All seen through the criminological lens. A tour de force from a scholar whose loss will be keenly felt'.

Sandra Walklate, Eleanor Rathbone Chair of Sociology, University of Liverpool

?Vincenzo was the Renaissance Man of international criminology ? a critical polymath with an aesthetic eye and a creative sociological imagination. His scholarship drew on politics, economics, sociology, history, literature, languages, art and, of course, criminology ? all reflected in this inimitable "cultural dictionary". This final journey takes us from the "classical criminology" of the "Age of Reason" to the historical and contemporary use of "Weapons of War" in our current unreasonable age. A sad farewell but a joy to read.?

Nigel South, Professor of Criminology, University of Essex

'A remarkable tour de force by one of the most original thinkers in criminology (and beyond) in our time. Keywords in Criminology is filled with sudden and illuminating insights that push disciplinary boundaries and cause readers to step back and deeply reflect on ideas they thought they understood already?and some they probably didn?t.'

Elliott P. Currie, Professor of Criminology, Law and Society, University of California, Irvine

'This book presents thoughtfully crafted essay-style definitions of crucial concepts central to the study and understanding of crime, criminology, and criminal justice. Professor Ruggiero?s selection of concepts to define, go beyond the typical end of chapter words defined in college or university textbooks. These entries showcase Professor Ruggiero?s profound understanding of the socio-political canon, supported by numerous citations. Readers interested in the epistemology of criminology and criminal justice will appreciate this book's thorough exploration of terminology across allied fields of inquiry.'

Jeffrey Ian Ross, Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Baltimore