A Criminology of Popular Music - (New Horizons in Criminology) by Eleanor Peters (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Music explores the deepest experiences of the human condition - love, violence, religion, hedonism, protest and politics. This book takes common themes in popular music and analyses them through a harms-based critical criminology of music, while staying focused on its aesthetic and sensory elements.

It analyses the sexism, homophobia and heteronormative bias of the music industry, considering its harms and dangers to the people working within it. It also examines the influences of drugs and alcohol - on both musicians and fans. Taking in music from across the globe, the book considers its role in bringing hope, whether on a personal or political level worldwide.

Review Quotes

'This is a work of deep knowledge and eclecticism, both scholarly and musical. Peters demonstrates how pop music can help us to understand our relationships to crime, harm and social tension. Pick up this volume!' Jonathan Ilan, University College Dublin

'Peters skilfully shows what music has to say to mainstream criminology, if it is granted a fair hearing.' Lambros Fatsis, University of London

'This book shows us the harm and hope contained in popular music. It will be an essential and deeply engaging read for anyone interested in crime and justice in music.' Daniel Newman, Cardiff University

"Criminology is getting a jolt of what it needs in this fine example of scholarship from Eleanor Peters. Music is ubiquitous and its relationship to crime is diverse and profound. From a tool of resistance to a way people bond, music - which is organized sound - animates social life, including crime. Peters truly breaks new ground in exploring a criminally understudied relationship." David Kauzlarich, University of North Carolina Greensboro

'Peters' turns up the volume with a criminology of popular music sure to be a hit with those interested in the intersections between music, crime, harm and culture.' Murray Lee, University of Sydney Law School