ANALYZING THE CRIMINALIZATION OF RACE IN THE AMERICAN CULTURE THROUGH THE LENS OF DETECTIVE AND CRIME FICTION

Abstract

In contemporary times, detective and crime fiction has become more of a platform for social, and political commentary and raising awareness, than merely serving as a mode of entertainment. However, this was not a change that occurred overnight, but rather a result of a series of changes that disrupted the social balance over a period. InAmerican culture, this trend began in the mid-twentieth century when crime fiction was concerned not alone with the display of individuals and crime but moreover the process of criminalization. In the US, this related to the process of ascribing an inherently criminal identity to certain racial groups, to promulgate racial differences, thereby leading to a discourse on racialized crimes. This change in the social and political realm of the American society was promptly reflected in the works of detective and crime fiction. As such, this paper aims to analyze the criminalization of race in the American culture in the twentieth century, alongside the significance of detective and crime fiction in portraying the same.