What We Mean By ‘Interdisciplinary’: The Historians’ Place in the Field of Criminology

• In Event: Roundtable: The Historians’ Role in Criminal Justice Research: Past, Present, and Future

Abstract

One of criminology’s great strengths is its eagerness to self-identify as ‘interdisciplinary,’ welcoming scholars from sociology, political science, psychology, anthropology, legal studies and elsewhere. In recent years, criminologists have branched out even further, developing an important role in the field for the “hard” sciences, particularly cognitive studies. The continued absence of historians, however, raises questions about the boundaries of the field’s interdisciplinary ethos. This paper will outline how rare it is for scholars trained in Departments of History to enter criminology, suggesting that the scant attention to historicity is partly attributable to the social scientific notion that “history” is a description of recorded events, rather than an intellectual worldview or disciplinary craft. Without grappling with the “historical imagination,” criminologists continue to underutilize the unique skills, perspectives, and literatures of historiography. This paper will conclude that, if historians are ever to make their way into the field of criminology in significant numbers, it will require an active effort on the part of criminologists. This may take the form of increased attention to historical skills and perspectives at conferences or in journals, or a greater integration of historians into Departments of Criminology, either as faculty or as graduate students.

Author

• Alexander Tepperman, University of Florida