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21 Critical Criminology 1 (2013)

handle is hein.journals/ctlcrm21 and id is 1 raw text is: Crit Crim (2013) 21:1-14 DOI 10.1007/s10612-012-9162-3 Are We Human? Edgework in Defiance of the Mundane and Measurable Deborah Landry Published online: 28 November 2012 © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2012 Abstract Edgework can be a useful heuristic tool in producing counter-statements about Orthodox Criminology, where the measurable has arguably become more important than the meaningful. This paper focuses on the embodied experiential nexus of culture and crime in which criminology is taught, administered, and investigated. The Burkean framework of Dramatism is used to reveal how collective creative productions by students can provide insight into the political context of the contemporary criminology classroom. Through an analysis of instant ethnographies penned by participants of a flash mob I illustrate how the role of autonomy and responsibility are not resources that students readily draw upon to understand themselves in relation to the production of knowledge and social change. These observations support some of the concerns raised by Cultural Criminologist about the rise of administrative criminology. In the spirit of detournement, I argue that one way to facilitate student engagement with knowledge production differ- ently is to invite them to experience moments of embodied transgressions. ... the idea of having the ability to stop traffic in its tracks with dancing and music makes me feel a bit like the Beatles. (ZRM) As the end of the spring 2009 semester approached for my contemporary criminological theories class, our focus remained on critiquing the role of orthodox criminological methodologies in the production of crime knowledge. Incorporating ideas of detournement and edgework, I played a video of a flash mob in class. We should do that one student exclaimed. That should be our final exam another quickly added. The class burst into laughter over the absurdity of the idea, but within 20 min they had managed to devise a tentative plan for a flash mob final exam option. Preceding the Occupy Movement in North America (2011), the G20 protests in 2010 and the initial general acceptance of flash mobs into popular culture, students collaboratively created a meaningful moment of transgression. This paper draws upon this collaboration as a Burkean Dramatization about embodiment, D. Landry (E) Department of Criminology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, 25 University Street, Ottawa, ON KIN 6N5, Canada e-mail: dlandry@uottawa.ca Springer

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