Literary Theory and Criminology

Literary theory was at the forefront of the culture wars in the 1990s, when there was a conservative backlash against the alleged cynicism of ‘postmodern’ philosophers and critics such as Jacques Derrida, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, and Judith Butler. Thirty years later, a reinvigorated conservative establishment is on the offensive against social and climate justice and literary theory has never been more important. This book comprises eight essays on globalisation, criminology, deconstruction, science fiction, fantasy, ecocide, critical theory, and critical praxis, which argue for the value of contemporary literary theory to a critical criminology concerned with the construction of a just and sustainable reality in the face of climate change and other mass harms. Though theoretical in orientation, exploring and explaining Derrida’s deconstruction, the essays draw on primary research, including newly-available archival material and a series of interviews with activist academics. Literary Theory and Criminology is aimed at students, academics, criminologists, and literary critics with an interest in social and climate justice: two of the most urgent research topics today.