Critical Narratives Or Crime Stories? The Ethics And Politics Of Narrative Research In Criminology

Abstract

Amid growing criminological interest in narrative, there is hope that the mainstreaming of ‘narrative criminology’ will yield a more critical disposition within the discipline. This article contends that critical practice does not simply entail attending to issues of harm, power and resistance or researcher reflexivity, but grappling with the complex ethics and politics of our research practices. Focusing on the field of ‘narrative criminology’, this article explores issues of voyeurism, empathy, listening and bearing witness and poses some questions to guide ethical narrative practice within criminology. It calls for criminologists to consider how we may use narrative more responsibly within our discipline.