Neo-Noir and Patriarchy: The Financial Crisis as a Dystopian Landscape of Gendered Violence in Greek Crime Fiction

• In Event: Scenes of Crime: Narratives of Crime in Movies, Novels, and Theater in Greece During the Crisis

Abstract

This presentation explores how the Greek financial crisis serves as a dystopian backdrop that normalises gendered violence in contemporary crime fiction, focusing on the novelThe Child in the Striped Shirt (2017) by Elena Chousni.
Since 2008, the financial and refugee crises widened inequality in Greece, increasing social exclusion and poverty. A ‘crisis narrative’ developed, marked by xenophobia, institutional dysfunction, and the normalisation of instability —a condition reflected in literature, film, and theatre. In this context, crime fiction labelled as ‘of crisis’ emerged, mirroring economic and social collapse.

The Child in the Striped Shirt portrays how rising unemployment, an underfunded justice system, and state neglect leave women and children vulnerable. Through the lens of cultural criminology,The Child in the Striped Shirt functions as both a crime narrative and social critique. Cultural criminology explores crime within cultural contexts, framing economic collapse as a criminogenic force. Neo-noir fiction, flourishing in Greece during the crisis, shifts from classic detective narratives to chaotic, corrupt settings where justice is elusive. Chousni’s novel, like Yannis Economides’ films and Petros Markaris’ Crisis Trilogy, rejects conventional resolutions, depicting a world where patriarchal violence persists unchecked.By incorporating Agamben’s concept of the state of exception, the analysis highlights how austerity policies strip certain populations—particularly women and children—of their legal protections, reducing them to bare life, exploitable and disposable.
Ultimately, this novel is a depiction of a Greece experiencing crisis, where financial difficulties contribute to cycles of violence.The fact that both the writer and the protagonist are women challenges traditional crime fiction narratives, shifting the genre’s focus from male-dominated heroism to female survival and resistance. By merging crime fiction with social commentary, Chousni’s work exemplifies how neo-noir and cultural criminology expose systemic victimisation in times of economic collapse.

Author

• Maria Athini, FRSA, MSWWJ, MA, Author–Journalist | Center for the Study of Crime