Reading penalty from the periphery

Abstract

This article presents a critical reflection on the task of reading penality from the periphery, adding to several significant contributions in punishment and society studies. It explores the center/periphery, North/South differentiations and their uses in recent social theory as a useful tool for studying contemporary penality at a global scale. It argues that previous modes of analysis did not put relations of inequality, subordination and dependence between different regions of the world in their agenda of research, because they were overwhelmingly concerned with penal processes and dynamics in the central contexts. Instead, it calls for placing at center stage the effects of imperialism and colonialism, in their different forms throughout history, in ways of thinking and acting in relation to penality and the center/periphery. From there, the article identifies some paradoxes and risks, as well as antidotes that provide a horizon for our future research.