Social Harm and Criminalization

Description

The criminalization of certain acts is typically justified on the basis that they are harmful. A cursory glance at any society, however, reveals that many harms are not criminalized, especially when they implicate actors and institutions in positions of power. What, then, is the relationship between criminalization and harm? Why are some harms criminalized and others tolerated? What about the harms caused by economic and political structures, including the very process of criminalization itself? This course will explore these questions by drawing on insights from the fields of zemiology (the study of social harm), criminology, sociology of law, philosophy, history and political science. Thanks to this multidisciplinary approach, students will gain a nuanced understanding of the dynamic relationship between social harm and criminalization and how it intersects with broader power structures. The course starts with an overview of the main theories of social harm and situates them within wider traditions of philosophical and criminological thought. The course then dives into key empirical areas in the study of social harm and how they can be analyzed using social harm perspectives and other relevant theoretical approaches. Core themes include: The relationship between harm, power and criminalization, Philosophical understandings of harm, Social harms associated with capitalism, colonialism, and consumerism, Gendered and racialized harms, Environmental degradation and animal harm.