Crime, Justice, and the Under‐Laborer: On the Criminology of the Shadow and the Search for Disciplinary Identity and Legitimacy

Abstract

This article proposes an alternative vision for what criminal justice can represent such that its interests in becoming a full‐fledged academic discipline are advanced. Linked to philosophical inquiry (the under‐laborer), emphasis is placed on explicating how insights derived from ontology, epistemology, aesthetics, and ethics underscore the field. Coupled with this more probing excursion is psychoanalytic reflexivity (the criminology of the shadow). The manner in which the philosophical lens informs criminal justice is delineated, and the logic of this shadow criminology is described. As dimensions of an inclusive organizing scheme, their potential for fostering integration in crime and justice studies consistent with the goals of disciplinary identity and legitimacy is explored. The implications of the proposed model—especially for charting a new direction in theory, research, policy, and pedagogy—are also highlighted.