From Acculturation to Transculturation?: Police Culture Change in the Pluralized Crime Investigation Department

Abstract

Abstract This article uses the concept of transculturation (Ortiz 1944) as a lens to examine the effects of civilianization on the (re)production of ‘detective culture’ in two police forces in England. It critiques acculturation as the principal framework for understanding the complexity of cultural (ex)change processes happening within pluralized police settings. By bridging police studies with postcolonial theory, this article provides an innovative account of cultural (re)production under conditions of modernization, specifically, within the context of contemporary crime investigation. The original findings presented reveal the subtle yet active role played by civilian investigators in this process. The article concludes by challenging criminologists to explore the explanatory potential of transculturation in other areas of criminal justice, both in the United Kingdom and internationally.