The use of intersectionality theory in the social sciences has proliferated in the past several years, putting forward the argument that the interconnected identities of individuals, and the way these identities are perceived and responded to by others, must be a necessary part of any analysis. Fundamentally, intersectionality claims that not only are people's lived experiences affected by their racial identity and by their gender identity, but that these identities, and others, continually operate together and affect each other.

With "official" statistical data that indicate people of Color have higher offending and victimization rates than White people, and with the overrepresentation of men and people of Color in the criminal legal system, new theories are required that address these phenomena and that are devoid of stereotypical or debasing underpinnings.

Intersectionality and Criminology provides a comprehensive review of the need for, and use of, intersectionality in the study of crime, criminality, and the criminal legal system. This is essential reading for academics and students researching and studying in the fields of crime, criminal justice, theoretical criminology, and gender, race, and socioeconomic class.

About the Author

Hillary Potter is Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She holds a B.A. and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Colorado at Boulder and an M.A. in criminal justice from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York. Dr. Potter's research has focused on the intersections of race, gender, and class as they relate to crime and violence, and she is currently researching Black women's use of violence in response to abusive intimate partners; men's use of violence; and antiviolence activism in Black and Latina/o communities. Dr. Potter is the author of Battle Cries: Black Women and Intimate Partner Abuse (2008) and the editor of Racing the Storm: Racial Implications and Lessons Learned from Hurricane Katrina (2007).

Reviews

'Hillary Potter has produced a groundbreaking volume that synthesizes, complicates, and thrusts forward research in intersectional criminology. Race, class, gender, sexuality and other social forces are decompartmentalized in order to gain a systematic understanding of crime, criminalization, the law, in/justice, and the research process. The discipline of Criminology has long marginalized intersectional approaches to research. This volume places intersectional research at front and center, establishing it as a key paradigm in the discipline and beyond; a must-read for every student trained in criminology.' - Victor M. Rios, Department of Sociology, University of California Santa Barbara, USA

'Hillary Potter makes a reflective, cogent, and compelling case for the value - in fact, necessity, - of an interdisciplinary approach across criminology. An important read.' - Katheryn Russell-Brown, Chesterfield Smith Professor of Law & Director, Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations, University of Florida, USA

'Potter has made a critically important contribution to feminist criminology and critical race theory. Intersectionality and Criminology fills a major gap in the literature and will leave readers better prepared to take up the issues of racism, gender oppression, class exploitation, transphobia and other manifestations of structural inequality in our study of crime and work for justice.' - Beth E. Richie, Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA

"Sophisticated, accessible, and compact, this volume delivers on the promise of the series of which it is part... It will be a required citation in the field and benefit a wide range of criminologists-those who run race and gender separately and those who do not see race and gender as relevant to their work. Highly recommended." - P. S. Leighton, Eastern Michigan University, Choice Review, February 2016

"Hillary Potter's Intersectionality and Criminology is a timely and relevant text offering a much needed synthesis of intersectionality within criminology, where the need to embrace intersectional principles is both urgent and largely unmet... Intersectionality and Criminology is a definitive text in the field and represents a crucial step in that revolutionizing process, not only for feminist criminologists but for all criminologists." - Amanda Burgess-Proctor, Oakland University, USA, Theoretical Criminology

Book Information
ISBN 9780415634403
Author Hillary Potter
Format Paperback
Page Count 194
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 220g