What, then, is the cultural aspect of criminology in particular?

Abstract

This paper scrutinizes and critiques the primary assertions that are made by the field of cultural criminology. I contend that there is a widespread misconception regarding the term "culture" when it comes to discussing the deviant and criminal behavior that is associated with the project. These issues are apparent in both the substantial empirical study of cultural criminology as well as in the new theoretical frameworks that attempt to analyze crime from a cultural point of view. In this work, I argue that the field's superficial contact with social anthropological classics undermines its argument that the cultural lens is a crucial tool for analyzing criminal behaviors. Specifically, I argue that they have just a cursory involvement with these classics. Given the lack of a comprehensive theoretical account of culture, it is simple to believe the assertion made by Gouldner (1975) that cultural criminologists are nothing more than "zoo-keepers" of contemporary deviance.