Neo-colonial criminology: On silence, silencing and tipping points

• In Event: Routledge International Handbook on Decolonizing Justice – Panel I

Abstract

Two decades of research show that discourse in elite mainstream criminology journals has remained largely silent about Indigenous peoples hyperincarcerated by the governments of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. It is argued that the discursive mass on Indigenous peoples fails to reach the critical mass required to mainstream the idea that – in light of lived realities ¬– most discussions of criminality cannot afford to remain colourblind. Moreover, the data shows that the discourse in elite mainstream criminology journals also contributes to the silencing of Indigenous voices through the discriminatory use of silencing research tools. It is argued that thus an overarching marginalizing message emerges from the elite criminology journal discourse, namely, that truthful knowledge about Indigenous people in the criminal legal system can be obtained without involving Indigenous voices.

Author

• Antje Deckert, Auckland University of Technology