Criminology in and of China: Discipline and Power

Abstract

This sociohistorical study of the development of criminology in the People's Republic of China not only considers available primary and secondary sources but also directly draws upon fieldwork interviews conducted with prominent scholars in China in 2007. Crime has been a silent partner in Chinese modernization, and law and order have been as central to the Chinese ruling elite's priorities as the promise of prosperity and economic growth. Criminology as a field of study with recognized scholars and research publications has been established in China, and our article critically examines the development, focus and scope, direction and trends, and underpinning theories.

La Causalidad de estar en China

“…En segundo lugar, la seguridad de caminar libremente por las calles a cualquier hora del día y la noche sin tener que estar atento al peligro es tranquilizante (Hebenton & Jou, 2010). Raras veces verás a dos personas discutiendo a golpes o robos callejeros o asaltos.…”

Doing criminology from the periphery: Crime and punishment in Asia

“…In the People’s Republic of China, sociology as an independent academic discipline was officially abolished in universities after the communist revolution in 1949 and re-established in 1978 during the era of economic reforms and modernization process along with other social sciences to support the country’s social transformation (Bakken, 2008). In this context, criminology teaching and research developed in post-reform China ‘under the watchful eye’ of the Chinese Communist Party; ‘the study of crime had to support, rather than embarrass, the party and the state’ (Hebenton and Jou, 2010: 12–13). The varied use of ‘ideological pressure’, ‘research regulation’ and ‘organisational steering’ and institutionalization of criminology as ‘a subfield of law’ (Hebenton and Jou, 2010: 13–14) in criminal law schools and university curricula has shaped the discipline’s dominant theoretical approaches, research topics and methods.…”

“…In this context, criminology teaching and research developed in post-reform China ‘under the watchful eye’ of the Chinese Communist Party; ‘the study of crime had to support, rather than embarrass, the party and the state’ (Hebenton and Jou, 2010: 12–13). The varied use of ‘ideological pressure’, ‘research regulation’ and ‘organisational steering’ and institutionalization of criminology as ‘a subfield of law’ (Hebenton and Jou, 2010: 13–14) in criminal law schools and university curricula has shaped the discipline’s dominant theoretical approaches, research topics and methods. Located as ‘a legal science’, criminology curricular development in China has resulted in ‘a shortage of key evaluation and social science research skills’ (Hebenton and Jou, 2010: 16), restricted its extension into related fields of social inquiry and public policy and its links with other social science disciplines.…”

Future of Youth Justice in Japan

“…Similar to other East Asian countries, such as China (Hebenton and Jou, 2010), criminology is a subfield of law in Japan (Konishi, 2013). Most criminologists in Japan have a law background.…”