Critical Reflections on Feminist Criminologies

This chapter provides an overview of the substantial and often neglected contribution of feminist theory and research to critical criminology. There are an array of feminist approaches to studying crime, violence and victimisation (see Naffine 1997: 29; Young 1996: 34). This field of study has bourgeoned and diversified so much over the last decade that it would be a disservice to caricature it as simply 'feminist'. A range of influences and approaches from literary theory, jurisprudence, legal studies, cultural studies, postmodemism, neo-liberalism, post-colonialism and neo-Marxism are apparent across this large disparate body of work.