Resistance - (Critical Criminological Perspectives) by Laura K Naegler (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This book provides a broad and detailed theoretical exploration of resistance and the complexities of power and social change. Engaging with past and contemporary theoretical debates and drawing from the author's empirical research in Europe, the USA and South East Asia, the book both challenges the limits of existing conceptual paradigms and advances theoretical knowledge about resistance. The chapters illuminate subjects such as: reactive modes of opposition and 'against-ness', creative and future-oriented modes of resistance, cultural and digital resistance, the role of emotions in resisting, resistant epistemologies and radical imaginations, the commodification of 'rebelliousness', State and public responses to resistance, and the significance of moments of confrontation between power and its opposition. By doing so, the work elucidates not only how and why people resist - or why they don't - but also how conceptualising resistance enables us to understand contemporary social, cultural and political conflicts and cleavages.

From the Back Cover

"With people today struggling against unjust authority and fighting to shape alternatives to it, Laura Naegler's Resistance arrives at just the right time. Naegler offers a cool-headed consideration of this incendiary situation, all while developing a sophisticated analysis attuned to the nuances of resistance. It would be difficult to imagine a more important book for confronting the current crisis, offering as it does clarity, insight, and ultimately, a handbook of hope for building a better world."

--Jeff Ferrell, author of Drift: Illicit Mobility and Uncertain Knowledge

"In a well-researched and comprehensive treatment of the highly ambiguous and contentious concept of resistance Laura Naegler has produced a much-needed work for scholars and students alike. This ambitious and engaging text is a welcome contribution to a highly inter-disciplinary field that covers the gamut of perspectives on this slippery subject that can embrace both left and right forms of transgression. In this period of populist authoritarianism, it should be warmly received by anyone trying to understand the speed and intensity of a highly anomic epoch where borders bleed and our social and moral anchors are constantly under threat."

--David Brotherton, Professor of Sociology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, NYC, USA

This book provides a detailed exploration of resistance and the complexities of power and social change. Engaging with past and contemporary theoretical debates and drawing from the author's empirical research in Europe, the USA and Southeast Asia, the book challenges the limits of existing conceptual paradigms and advances theoretical knowledge about resistance. Chapters illuminate subjects such as reactive and creative modes of opposition, cultural, emotional and digital resistance, radical epistemologies and imaginations, the commodification of 'rebelliousness', State and public responses to resistance and resulting moments of confrontation. By doing so, the work elucidates not only how and why people resist - or why they don't - but also how conceptualising resistance enables understanding social, cultural and political conflicts.

Laura K. Naegler is a critical cultural criminologist based at the University of Liverpool, UK.

About the Author

Laura K. Naegler, PhD, is a critical cultural criminologist based at the University of Liverpool, UK. She is also the author of the research monograph Gentrification and Resistance: Cultural Criminology, Control, and the Commodification of Urban Protest in Hamburg (2012, LIT Verlag).