Introduction: Regarding Criminal Law Historically

Abstract

Modern Histories of Crime and Punishment showcases a variety of disciplinary, methodological, and theoretical approaches that, taken together, frame historical analysis in the study and teaching of criminal law. Featuring work by historians, lawyers, theorists, and sociologists, Modern Histories approaches the history of crime and punishment not as the freestanding study of a distinct institution or body of legal doctrine, but as part of a broader inquiry into the webs of governance and control that constitute social and political life. One of the central goals of this book is to capture the variety of contemporary scholarship in the history of criminal law. Indeed, it is notable that while exciting work is being done in various disciplines, including work that sees itself as being interdisciplinary in nature, it is not always the case that there is engagement or debate among these bodies of work — or indeed with the discipline of criminal law. The aim then is both to reflect the plurality of approaches in this area and to illustrate how drawing on these different perspectives can stimulate new and critical perspectives on the modern criminal law.