Book review: Jayne Mooney, The Theoretical Foundations of Criminology: Place, Time and Context
| Author | Kimberly J Cook |
| Published date | 01 May 2021 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1362480620971059 |
| Date | 01 May 2021 |
| Subject Matter | Book reviews |
971059TCR0010.1177/1362480620971059Theoretical CriminologyBook reviews
book-review2020
Theoretical Criminology
2021, Vol. 25(2) 343 –357
Book reviews
© The Author(s) 2020
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https://doi.org/10.1177/1362480620971059
DOI: 10.1177/1362480620971059
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Jayne Mooney, The Theoretical Foundations of Criminology: Place, Time and Context, Routledge:
New York, 2020; 383 pp. and 20 illustrations: 9780415733953 (hbk); 9780131960107 (pbk),
$39.95; 9780429322723 (ebk)
Reviewed by: Kimberly J Cook, University of North Carolina Wilmington, USA
This is not an ordinary criminological theory textbook. It is extraordinary. It should be
widely adopted by faculty who teach criminological theory because it re-connects our
discipline to its socio-historical roots, documenting applications and reform movements
long overlooked. In so doing, the text offers keen insights for criminologists moving
forward. Mooney provides a deep exploration into the socio-historical context of crimi-
nological thought that includes often-overlooked contributions from scholars of color
and women. The mainstream criminological canon is more accurately covered by expos-
ing the often-critical criminological roots that have shaped the debates and research
agendas for more than 200 years.
This book is meticulously researched, where Mooney often depends on primary
sources more common in historical research, as well as original publications from crimi-
nologists from across the centuries. Mooney’s aim is “to present the core theories of
criminology as historical and cultural products and theorists as producers of culture
located in particular places, writing in specific historical periods and situated in precise
intellectual networks and philosophical controversies” (p. 1). For decades we have used
criminological theory texts that have largely disembodied theorists and theories from the
historical epoch in which they...
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