For a Zemiology of Politics. Issue 2 (June 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Davis, Howard; White, Holly
• Is Part Of: Journal of white collar and corporate crime. Volume 4:Issue 2(2023)
• Page Start: 88
• Page End: 99
• Publication Date: 2023-06
• Subjects: zemiology -- politics -- crimes of the powerful -- environmental crime -- state crime; White collar crimes -- Periodicals; Commercial crimes -- Periodicals; 364.168
• DOI: 10.1177/2631309X221123759
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2631-309X

Abstract

A zemiology of politics is required in the face of disastrous historic, contemporary and future social harms. Focusing on state-led politics, the article charts some politically generated or mediated social harms: military; ecological and economic. These can generate justificatory narratives of zemiogenic deceit and ignorance. In a contemporary political moment of authoritarian populism, nativism and racism, each feature as part of wider processes towards the corruption and destruction of politics. The article then suggests some of the potentials of healthy politics and fundamental principles for a zemiology of politics including: subordination of crime-centric criminology to a historically grounded international zemiology, the incorporation of agnotological perspectives, and an orientation that is public, inclusive, reflexive and non-fundamentalist.