Criminology Seminar Series - Telling Crime Stories
When:
—
Venue:
Birkbeck Main Building, Malet Street
Telling Crime Stories
Speaker: Dr. Jennifer Fleetwood (Goldsmiths)
In this paper, I argue that personal narratives about crime are flourishing in a variety of mediums. Whilst criminology is experiencing it’s own ‘narrative turn’, we can note that personal narratives about crime seem to be experiencing popularity in TV series, podcasts, magazines and news media. Podcasts such as My favourite murder and Netflix series, such as Conversations with a killer: the Ted Bundy tapes explicitly forefront personal narratives over objective or official accounts. Drawing on the now established field of narrative criminology, this paper considers, what the proliferation of crime stories can tell us about contemporary society. Why are personal narratives flourishing now? What kinds of stories does this current moment allow to be told? What do these crime stories accomplish, and for whom? Whilst the proliferation of crime narratives is an opportunity for criminologists, this paper questions their contemporary emergence and significance.
About the Speaker
Dr. Jennifer Fleetwood is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London, and is Co-Chair of the British Society of Criminology (BSC) Southern Branch and is an active member of the BSC, including also through membership of the Society’s Women’s Network Steering Group, and the Ethics sub-committee. Her research focus is on women, gender, and crime/law-breaking. Her book, Drug Mules: Women in the International Cocaine Trade, won the 2015 British Society of Criminology Book Prize. More recently, the focus of her work has been on narrative criminology, including a Handbook of Narrative Criminology, which she co-edited with Lois Presser, Sveinung Sandberg and Thomas Ugelvik.
About the Criminology Seminar Series
In line with the School of Law, Birkbeck's research and teaching ethos, the Criminology Seminar Series aims to provide a platform for critical and interdisciplinary research, showcasing prominent and path-breaking research on crime, criminal justice and related themes by scholars from within and beyond Birkbeck. The series is convened by Dr Sappho Xenakis, School of Law, Birkbeck.
Attendance to the events is free but registration is required. Talks from the 2019/20 series will be available for download via the website. Find out more about the series here. The hashtag for the event is #BBKCrimSeries.
This event is open to the public and free to attend however booking is required via this page. We kindly request that if you are unable to attend that you cancel your booking in order to allow others to attend.
Latecomers to the event are not guaranteed entry. Please be advised that photographs may be taken at the event.
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Contact name:
School of Law