Law, Crime and Sexuality

Carol Smart is Professor of Sociology at the University of Leeds. Her publications include: The Ties that Bind: Law, Marriage and the Reproduction of Patriarchal Relations (1984); Feminism and the Power of Law (1989); and Regulating Womanhood: Historical Essays on Marriage, Motherhood and Sexuality (edited, 1992).

`The great strength of this collection is the author′s ability to write clearly about theoretical issues of great complexity. It should therefore prove extremely useful to its intended audience of students in the law and the social sciences. In teaching legal theory I have found `The Woman of Legal Discourse′ (Chapter 11) invaluable as a way of bringing out some of the main themes of feminist jurisprudence′ - LCCJ Newsletter`Smart aims to increase the accessibility of theory to students. This is an ambitious task, yet it is tackled well. Theory is not simplified to the point of distortion.... Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the collection is the opportunity provided to understand the evolution of a knowledge project over twenty years which has tried to demystify law and to render its workings more transparent. It provides a rich understanding of law and the extent of its impact on the daily lives of all of us, not only in times of trouble such as divorce or victimisation. Rather, it frames our lives in terms of the possibilities open to us and operates as a discourse which creates legal subjects such as rape victims or lone mothers′ - Sociology′Provides an excellent forum to evaluate and debate those aspects of Carol Smart′s work in criminology, the sociology of law and sexuality, and feminism, which will continue to influence a large generation of students and scholars′ - Social & Legal Studies′Carol Smart, argues that institutional and intelectual boundaries often prevent criminologists, socio-legal communities, and feminists from reading each others′ works. In her collection of essays,Smart therefore sets out to demonstrate how her feminist project is formed by, and informs, wider debates in sociology, criminology, socio-legal studies, and feminist theory and philosophy......Specifically, Smart highlights how postmodern ideas have led her to question the feasibility of using legal systems for emancipatory puroses....Smart′s collection is a valuable contribution to current discussions about law, crime, and sexuality. The accessibility, scope and chronological arrangement of the collection make it especially useful for introducing students to the history of scholarship on female criminality and to recent developments in critical and leagal theory. Moreover, Smart′s insightful suggestions about the discursive construction of "crime" and the "criminal" introduce a welcome alternative to current approaches for addressing the problem of both male and female criminality.′ Crime, Law & Social Change 26/1997

• IntroductionPART ONE: CRIMINOLOGYIntroductionCriminological TheoryIts Ideology and Implications Concerning WomenFeminist Approaches to Criminology, or Postmodern Woman Meets Atavistic ManPART TWO: SEXUALITYIntroduction Legal Subjects and Sexual ObjectsIdeology, Law and Female SexualityLaw′s Power, the Sexed Body and Feminist DiscourseUnquestionably a Moral IssueRhetorical Devices and Regulatory ImperativesLaw, Feminism and SexualityFrom Essence to Ethics?PART THREE: FEMINIST THEORY AND LAWIntroductionLegal Regulation or Male Control?Feminism and the LawSome Problems of Analysis and StrategyFeminist JurisprudenceThe Woman of Legal DiscourseProscription, Prescription and the Desire for Certainty? Feminist Theory in the Field of LawPostscript of the 1990s, or ′Still Angry After all These Years′