Temple Studies in Criminalization,
History and Society
We aim to promote both theoretical and methodological understanding of criminalization and its various patterns at the local, national, and global levels throughout modern and contemporary history. The book series is guided by the conviction that issues surrounding criminalization not only reflect the form of society and polity but also assist us in uncovering how hierarchical power relationships and entrenched social practices have evolved over time. This examination reveals how injustice occurred and to what extent social and political forces shaped the destiny of individuals and communities in diverse geographies and historical periods. Clarifying this complex process across societies is essential for shedding new light on the most challenging issues we face today. Temple Studies in Criminalization, History, and Society provides a platform for emerging and established scholars to address these critical issues, pioneer interdisciplinary approaches, and spark a stimulating and scholarly debate.
About
The proposed book series takes a multidisciplinary approach to examining the factors that contribute to crime and the grim consequences of criminalization processes involving nonstate actors, institutions, states, and empires in modern history. The current literature on crime is heavily focused on contemporary issues ranging from prisons and policing to gangs, organized crime, and corruption. These are, of course, pressing issues that require examination. However, these subjects have also been central to social, political, and cultural life and have gained momentum with the industrialization, bureaucratization, globalization, and sophistication of social control mechanisms, particularly since the early modern history. Nonetheless, there is a massive gap in the literature regarding the contextualization of the criminalization process in the past in all of its manifestations. Temple Studies in Criminalization, History, and Society seeks to bridge this divide by focusing on the criminalization process in early modern history, modern and contemporary history, and integrating perspectives from four other fundamental social science and humanities disciplines: sociology, history, criminology, and political science. In doing so, the proposed book series examines fundamental questions about the criminalization process to shed new light on the human condition, social and political dissent, conflict, and violence, all of which are influenced by the concept of crime and criminalization in different historical periods and diverse social and political geographies.
Rooted in interdisciplinary scholarship, this series welcomes contributions from historians, criminologists, sociologists, anthropologists, and political scientists. It emphasizes a comprehensive understanding of how past events and structures, particularly those linked to empires, modern states, and the process of post-colonialism shape contemporary policies and perceptions. A core focus of the series is the historical foundations of discrimination—be it sexual, racial, ethnic, or religious. It critically examines how these historical biases have evolved into current forms of criminalization. By uncovering these connections, the series seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the legacies of power hierarchies and their continued influence on modern society.
Vision and Aim
-
Conceptual/theoretical development:
Scholars conducting historiographical investigations from diverse disciplines and methodologies but focusing on the same concept – processes of criminalization – will generate a vibrant intellectual debate on the subject. Hence, the proposed book series aims to increase our understanding of how we can develop new concepts on an ontological level and bring theoretically innovative ideas and debates to challenge or revise established concepts and theories. Temple Studies on Criminalization, History, and Society aspires to examine and reimagine the trajectory of studies on criminalization as a provocative intellectual endeavor.
2. Decolonization/Provincialization of crime related scholarship:
One of the book series' primary objectives is to decolonize and provincialize our approach to crime-related scholarship and to foster substantive engagement with Global South theory and debate. The editor of the book series wishes to encourage works that treat ‘difference’ seriously and places it at the center of our methodological approach to the process of criminalization. Decolonization and the provincialization of crime are especially critical in bringing the stories from terra incognita to the fore. The editor wishes to prioritize giving voice to the stories of vulnerable and oppressed groups and to lead the development of scholarship that incorporates queer, trans, feminist, indigenous, and racial-ethnic perspectives, thereby advancing our knowledge of crime and criminalization processes. This coverage is critical for the book series in bringing about justice by publishing the stories of individuals and communities whose voices have been silenced as a result of the western-centric process of knowledge creation.
3. Strengthening transdisciplinary knowledge and teaching approaches on crime:
The book series aims to strengthen interdisciplinary debate by bringing together sociologists, criminologists, historians, and political scientists to produce an intellectual exchange on crime/criminalization throughout history. The book series aims to publish book projects that interrogate and rethink crime from the perspectives of scholars who are affiliated with these four main different disciplines. This transdisciplinary knowledge seeks to inform not only scholarly debate but also the next generation, with the goal of producing synthetic books for classroom use. This will contribute to the depth of our teaching approaches by diversifying the cases from different social geographies and various disciplines that can be used for teaching, as well as providing future generations with critical and transdisciplinary knowledge on crime studies and criminalization processes. In doing so, the books in the series are committed to intervening in curriculum content and design, imagining alternative futures, and defending scholarship under threat.
4. Methodological diversity:
Archival research, oral history, and, more recently, digital history methodologies are the principal tools for exploring a historical research subject. Most historians of crime employ these methodologies in their research and teaching. Yet these methodologies have been used in the study of crime in various social science areas. From this vantage point, the book series strives to close a gap in our methodological knowledge by bringing historical methods, both established and novel, to the study of crime/criminalization by scholars in the humanities and social scientists with backgrounds in sociology, history, criminology, and political science.Social scientists who employ a range of social science-oriented methods, such as computer programs for statistical analysis of qualitative data (NVivo, QDAMinor, etc.), discourse analysis, crime mapping, and forensic crime investigation, may fill a substantial gap in the application of these methods to crime-related historical research subjects. As a result, it may spark a new debate about the main methods used by historians for various research subjects. This critical interaction in the application and diversification of methods for the study of criminalization, history, and society will enhance a plethora of different disciplines and widen methodological pluralism in both the social sciences and humanities through the production of cutting-edge scholarship that will be published as part of the book series.
Potential Subjects
Written by leading experts and upcoming scholars, books in the series aim to explore how people’s motivations, beliefs, perceptions, values, norms, and understandings are defined and shaped by crime and the outcomes of criminalization. The goal of the series is to showcase the influential work in this exciting transdisciplinary field, demonstrating how different disciplines approach unraveling the navigation of crime within a hierarchal power relationship, unjust treatments, the severe consequences of marginalization, and the rebellious reactions of people against the criminalizing authorities, whether state or non-state actors. The following is a sample of the subjects that the Temple Studies in Criminalization, History, and Society will cover:
-
The Social Control of Crime and Imperialism
-
Criminalizing the Poor
-
Crimes of Colonial Powers
-
Discourse, Crime, and Imperialism
-
Crime and Cultural History
-
Slavery and the Construction of Criminal Justice system
-
Archiving Crime and Hidden History
-
Surveillance Practices in History
-
Rebellions: Bandits and Brigands
-
Imperial Prison Regimes
-
Race, Crime, and Empire
-
Slavery and Imperialism
-
Criminalization and Marginalization of LGBTQI+ people
-
Imperial Criminal Justice System and Social Control
-
Gendered States of Punishment
-
Criminalization, Media, and Propaganda
-
The Global History of Violent Sects and Deviant Groups
-
Notorious Gangs and Mafias in the Past
-
The History of Criminalization and Propagands
-
The War on Drugs and Marginalization
-
Comparative Historical Cases on Criminalization
Book Series Editor
Associate Professor Baris Cayli Messina, University of Lincoln, UK, is the series editor. Professor Messina is an interdisciplinary scholar whose research focuses on crimes, conflicts, and violence across time and space. The series editor will take all necessary measures to ensure that prospective authors have a positive publishing experience. Mentoring and assisting authors with their writing and revision processes are essential for generating a knowledge driven process and a positive experience during the creation of an original scholarly book. The series editor will assist the acquisitions editor in identifying appropriate peer reviewers, communicating peer review reports to authors in a timely manner, clarifying critical issues that must be addressed during the revision process, and assisting authors in enhancing the quality of their book projects during the revision process. To achieve this, the series editor will be available to meet with authors online and will agree with them on a timeline for completing their book projects, while also ensuring the academic quality of revised book manuscripts. Professor Messina will also promote the series' books by hosting podcasts with authors
Book Acquisitions Editor
Ryan Mulligan has been an editor at Temple University Press since 2016. The books he has published have been honored by Choice (Outstanding Academic Title), Library Journal (Starred Review), the NAACP (Image Award Nominee), and divisions of the American Sociological Association and the American Society of Criminology. He oversees TUP’s acquisitions in criminology, sociology, and law and society. Prior to arriving at Temple, Ryan worked for four years at Princeton University Press.
Submission
Please submit your book proposal to the acquisition editor Ryan A. Mulligan (ryan.mulligan@temple.edu).
If you are not sure about whether your project fits well with the book series, you can also have initial discussion with the book series editor, Professor Messina (bcaylimessina@lincoln.ac.uk).
Most proposals should include the following:
-
title and subtitle
-
names and affiliations of all authors/editors/contributors and CVs for authors/editors
-
overview of the project (from a few paragraphs to a few pages)
-
table of contents with a short description of each chapter
-
your sense of the primary audience—e.g., academics, graduate or undergraduate students, the general public (if the book is intended for classroom adoption, please list the courses for which you think it would be most appropriate)
-
paragraph describing what makes you the right author for this project
-
any sample material you can provide, up to and including the complete manuscript
-
assessment of how much material has been or will be published/reprinted elsewhere
-
projected word count and number of photos, tables, graphs, etc.
-
brief descriptions of competing or comparable books (comparable is a key word here—even if there are no directly competing books, books on similar topics are important reference points in our decision-making process)
-
status of the manuscript and timeline for completion
-
statement about whether the project is being sent to other publishers for review
Contact
Acquisitions Editor
Temple University Press
1340 W. Norris Street
Philadelphia PA 19129, USA
Phone: 215.204.8787
Fax: 215.204.2142
Contact
Book Series Editor
School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, Lincoln, LN6 7TS,
UK
