This course examines the histories of crime, deviance, and punishment through a series of case studies. There is no single focal point in terms of period or place. Case studies are drawn from Britain, the USA, Australia and South Africa, and range over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Through these case studies, we explore the relationships between crime (and deviance) and the cleavages of class, sex, and race. We also explore the role of the media in generating fear of crime and forging stereotypes of criminals and deviants. Finally, we examine the historical development of systems of punishment and the ways in which criminal justice systems have both reflected and reinforced wider social inequalities. Indicative topics include: young women and ‘flash’ style; street robbery and moral panics; eugenics and the regulation of female sexuality; prisoners’ memoirs; the ‘war’ on drugs; the rise of the ‘gangster.’