Book review: Rachel E. Dubrofsky and Shoshana Amielle Magnet (eds), Feminist Surveillance Studies
| Published date | 01 February 2017 |
| Date | 01 February 2017 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1362480616638956 |
| Subject Matter | Book reviews |
Theoretical Criminology 21(1)
a perspective, a theory, a method, or some combination of these. Her response is that
intersectionality is simultaneously an epistemology for conducting criminological
research, a theory of criminal offending, a theory of criminalization and crime control
policies, and a perspective for informing public policy. As with her concluding remarks in
Chapter 3, Potter’s inclusive definition can widen the appeal of intersectionality for all
criminologists, and for scholars working outside of criminology as well. Fittingly, this
final chapter concludes with a focus on a key element of any feminist perspective, which
is praxis, or ‘putting theory into action or practice’ (p. 152). The goal of feminist crimino-
logical praxis is to improve the criminal legal system response to people and communities
who are marginalized on the basis of race×gender. For Potter, one goal of intersectional
praxis in particular is to revolutionize the discipline of criminology along these lines as
well.
This text has appeal for a large scholarly audience, and is appropriate for both
undergraduate and graduate level courses. Indeed, one of the chief strengths of the
book is that it provides useful definitions for reframing readers’ understanding of com-
plex issues within criminology. For example, in Chapter 1 Potter defines and discusses
terms such as ‘race’, ‘ethnicity’, ‘sex’, ‘gender’, ‘sexuality’, and ‘socioeconomic
class’, offering a textbook-like framework for readers (students or otherwise) to under-
stand these terms. Likewise, Potter uses ‘colorblind feminism’ instead of ‘mainstream
feminism’ to identify the historically white, middle-class women’s movement, for
which the racial/ethnic identity of women ‘was not a major impetus’ (p. 43). Finally,
Potter uses the metaphor of ‘braided’ identities to indicate that ‘social identities are
fantastically interwoven, and continually interact with and affect each other, and [that]
others respond to individuals based on their social identities’ (p. 152). These compo-
nents of Potter’s analysis make this book accessible to a wide audience of readers,
including but not limited to criminologists.
As Potter observes:
With the widespread, multidisciplinary attention to and use of intersectionality in conducting
research and for theorizing, intersectionality can no longer be viewed as a boutique theory or
perspective … A push for intersectional advancement within the discipline of criminology must
occur. (p. 161).
Intersectionality and Criminology is a definitive text in the field and represents a cru-
cial step in that revolutionizing process, not only for feminist criminologists but for all
crimin...
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