Louise Wattis – författare

Interest in true crime as a form of popular entertainment has sky-rocketed in recent years. Drawing on this current popularity and its significance in the context of digital culture, Gender, True Crime and Criminology challenges traditional definitions of the genre, expanding representations of victimhood and how we understand true crime audiences in gendered terms.

Tackling male consumption of true crime and exploring texts which might appeal to men as consumers, Louise Wattis reveals a new opportunity to analyse representations of masculinity, class and violence, as well as how male audiences engage with cultural portrayals of these violent subjects. Embracing the breadth of the true crime genre, including features such as online engagement, sexual violence and the figure of the murdered woman, chapters critically analyse themes of gender, masculinity, race and class, as well as their representations in victim/survivor-centred documentaries. Situating wider debates within the renewed mainstream focus on violence against women, chapters also raise timely questions around ethics and the nature of victim visibility.

Recognising the value of popular criminology as an academic resource, this is a much-needed text for advancing contemporaneous debates around the importance and diversity of true crime.

Interest in true crime as a form of popular entertainment has sky-rocketed in recent years. Drawing on this current popularity and its significance in the context of digital culture, Gender, True Crime and Criminology challenges traditional definitions of the genre, expanding representations of victimhood and how we understand true crime audiences in gendered terms.

Tackling male consumption of true crime and exploring texts which might appeal to men as consumers, Louise Wattis reveals a new opportunity to analyse representations of masculinity, class and violence, as well as how male audiences engage with cultural portrayals of these violent subjects. Embracing the breadth of the true crime genre, including features such as online engagement, sexual violence and the figure of the murdered woman, chapters critically analyse themes of gender, masculinity, race and class, as well as their representations in victim/survivor-centred documentaries. Situating wider debates within the renewed mainstream focus on violence against women, chapters also raise timely questions around ethics and the nature of victim visibility.

Recognising the value of popular criminology as an academic resource, this is a much-needed text for advancing contemporaneous debates around the importance and diversity of true crime.

Between 1975 and 1980, Peter Sutcliffe, who became known as the Yorkshire Ripper, murdered 13 women in the North of England. The murders provoked widespread fear amongst women and impacted the public consciousness at both the local and national level. This book revisits the case, applying a feminist and cultural criminological lens to explore a range of criminological concerns relating to gender, violence and victimhood. Combining research findings from oral history interviews, analysis of popular criminological texts and academic commentary, this volume explores what the case can tell us about feminism, fear of crime, gender and serial murder and the representation of victims and sex workers. The volume contributes to a creative cultural criminology, highlighting how excavating recent criminal history and reading across texts presents new ways for understanding violence, gender and representation in the contemporary context.