Stuart Hall as a criminological theorist-activist
| Author | Karim Murji |
| DOI | 10.1177/1362480619889106 |
| Published date | 01 August 2020 |
| Date | 01 August 2020 |
| Subject Matter | Part I: Conscious Criminology |
https://doi.org/10.1177/1362480619889106
Theoretical Criminology
2020, Vol. 24(3) 447 –460
© The Author(s) 2020
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DOI: 10.1177/1362480619889106
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Stuart Hall as a criminological
theorist-activist
Karim Murji
University of West London, UK
Abstract
What is the legacy of Stuart Hall for criminology, beyond just Policing the Crisis? In this
article I highlight two other engagements by Hall in race and policing one in the 1980s
through an independent inquiry, the other in the 1990s through a major public inquiry.
Beyond bringing this work to light, this article shows how these engagements reveal
Hall’s unique style of theorizing the concrete politics of the present through his stress
upon conjunctures and context, and via the concept of articulation. Hall’s interventions
in these two cases underscore an analytical and theoretical stance in public forums that
made him more than a ‘scholar-activist’ but rather a ‘theorist-activist’ who drew on
theory for strategic and ‘applied’ purposes. The ways in which he did this can, I suggest,
point to different ways of ‘doing race’ in a critical criminology.
Keywords
policing, politics, public criminology, public engagement, racism
Since the death of Stuart Hall in 2014 there have been a large number of tributes and
publications attesting to his influence. A recurring theme is Hall’s role as a public intel-
lectual through his many projects and activities in the arts and to an extent in public
policy, such as with the Runnymede Trust for example. The accolades also point to his
public pedagogy through his Open University teaching, as well as in a wide range of
speaking and publishing engagements. These include his contributions to Marxism
Today in the 1980s, and to Soundings from the late 1990s to his demise, let alone his
earlier work with the ‘new left’ in the 1960s. The range and depth of activity within and
beyond the academy makes clear that Hall was always more than just an ‘ivory tower’
Corresponding author:
Karim Murji, University of West London, St Mary’s Road, Ealing, W5 5RF, UK.
Email: karim.murji@uwl.ac.uk
889106TCR0010.1177/1362480619889106Theoretical CriminologyMurji
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