Paper short abstract:

This paper simply looks at how the disciplines of anthropology and archaeology have had, and are having an impact on criminology.

Paper long abstract:

As ethnographic studies in criminology are on the increase, some of the theoretical issues which have been raised in relation to the practice of ethnography are only beginning to be looked at in criminology, such as reflexivity and the meaning of the concept of 'culture.' Similarly, theoretical approaches to space and place used by archaeologists and anthropologists for the last fifteeen years or so, are just starting to be adopted by criminologists. Archaeological theories such as diffusionism are also potentially applicable to the spread of criminal techniques and knowledges. Clearly, there are also theoretical and allegorical links to be made between archaeological excavations and crime scene examination, and also between the reinterpretation of the past , as archaeology, and the reviewing of 'cold' criminal cases. This paper examines, then, how interdisciplinary approaches can enhance criminological knowledge.