Sociology & Criminology for a Changing World
What we eat, when, how, and with whom – these are not purely personal decisions. The sociology of food reveals that eating is a deeply social practice. It signifies belonging, marks differences, reflects power relations, and has become increasingly moralized. Between everyday routines and global food systems, a complex field of research unfolds, offering insights
Predict and Surveil is one of the first ethnographic studies of data-driven policing in the United States. In this landmark work, American sociologist Sarah Brayne focuses on the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), a pioneer in predictive policing—and a department widely criticized for its surveillance practices. Brayne analyzes how big data, algorithmic predictions, and digital
The Politics of Abolition (1974) by Thomas Mathiesen is one of the most influential works in penal abolitionism and critical criminology. In a radical departure from traditional theories of punishment, Mathiesen advocates not for alternative forms of punishment, but for the abolition of the prison system altogether—calling into question the legitimacy of the entire penal
With The Society of Singularities (2017), Andreas Reckwitz delivered one of the most influential analyses of late modern society. At a time when individuality, uniqueness, and authenticity are invoked almost to the point of inflation, Reckwitz argues that the basic principle of modern sociality has fundamentally shifted: from a logic of the general to a
Punishing the Poor by French-American sociologist Loïc Wacquant offers a sharp analysis of the relationship between poverty, criminal justice, and the neoliberal state. The central thesis: in times of neoliberal redistribution and social insecurity, the penal apparatus takes the place of the welfare state—not to solve social problems, but to manage the consequences of growing
The Established and the Outsiders is considered a key work of figurational sociology and a seminal study for explaining social inequality and exclusion at the group level. Building on Elias’ theory of civilization, Elias and Scotson analyze how, in a small English community, differences in power and mechanisms of denigration develop and become entrenched between