Lush Life
Constructing Organized Crime in the UK
Published on 10. January 2013
Book
Hardback
328 pages
978-0-19-966828-1 (ISBN)
Description
Lush Life: Constructing Organized Crime in the UK opens 'the box marked do not open, too difficult to deal with', in the words of one Assistant Chief Constable, to explore the contested notion of British organized crime. The first book to trace the history and policing of British organized crime, it addresses how the interlocking processes of de-industrialisation, globalisation and neo-liberalism have normalised activity that was previously the exclusive domain of professional criminals.
With both historical and sociological analyses, informed by the author's long term connection to an ethnographic site called 'Dogtown', a composite of several overlapping neighbourhoods in East London, this book critically addresses cliches such as criminal underworlds and the notion of the criminal firm. It considers the precursors to British organized crime, as well as the careers of famous crime families such as the Krays and the Richardsons, alongside the emergence of specialised law enforcement institutions to deal with this newly discovered threat. It also focuses on the various ways in which violence functions within organised crime, the role of rumour in formulating order within crime networks, the social construction of organised crime, the development of the cosmopolitan criminal and the all-inclusive nature of the contemporary criminal community of practice. Permeating throughout is a discussion of the flexible nature of the criminal market, the constructed nature of the notion of organised crime, and the normalisation of criminality.
Underpinned by rich, context-specific examples, case studies, stories, and other qualitative evidence based on ethnographic research and interviews, Lush Life follows on from the author's work on normal crime (Doing the Business), and professional crime (Bad Business).
With both historical and sociological analyses, informed by the author's long term connection to an ethnographic site called 'Dogtown', a composite of several overlapping neighbourhoods in East London, this book critically addresses cliches such as criminal underworlds and the notion of the criminal firm. It considers the precursors to British organized crime, as well as the careers of famous crime families such as the Krays and the Richardsons, alongside the emergence of specialised law enforcement institutions to deal with this newly discovered threat. It also focuses on the various ways in which violence functions within organised crime, the role of rumour in formulating order within crime networks, the social construction of organised crime, the development of the cosmopolitan criminal and the all-inclusive nature of the contemporary criminal community of practice. Permeating throughout is a discussion of the flexible nature of the criminal market, the constructed nature of the notion of organised crime, and the normalisation of criminality.
Underpinned by rich, context-specific examples, case studies, stories, and other qualitative evidence based on ethnographic research and interviews, Lush Life follows on from the author's work on normal crime (Doing the Business), and professional crime (Bad Business).
Reviews / Votes
This is an intense, serious, theoretically engaging and timely book whose empirical veracity introduces the reader to a convincing series of interlocking narratives that would do justice to a thriller. The scholarly breadth and ambition of this book alone makes it exceptional * Rob Hornsby, Trends in Organized Crime * ^iLush Life^r is simply an absolute belter of a book, the sort of criminology that really should be read by everyone with an interest in the realities of contemporary crime in Britain. It is another instant classic. * James Treadwell, The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice * This text is by far the most insightful, accurate and intelligent account of organized or serious crime in the UK in recent times. It should be required reading not just for those of us who are researching aspects of serious crime, but also for those interested in sociology, criminology or the intersection of neoliberal capitalism and social class generally. * Brendan Marsh, Criminology & Criminal Justice * The book is not only theoretically original but also empirically so. * Dr. Daniel Silverstone, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books Reviews * Within the literature of organised crime this is undoubtedly an important book. It reminds us that while we may think we know plenty about organised crime, we actually know very little of a world that is all around us and to which we are all, in some way, connected. And finally, the joke that opens the book is almost worth the cover price alone. * Tim Hall, Times Higher Education * Professor Dick Hobbs' new book is a most interesting read and I read it from cover to cover in one sitting. This bookwill be popular, not only with criminal lawyers and criminologists, but with the general public who have had a longstanding fascination with sensational crimes and the criminals who commit these crimesincludes important appendices of the case studies from which the author's conclusions were extracted, which together with an impressive bibliography, makes this an important addition to the criminal law library. * Sally Ramage, The Criminal Lawyer * Acutely observed, lucid, funny and always pointed, Dick Hobbs has unpicked the category of organised crime and re-written it as a demystified history of working class life. Lush Life is a classic. * Paul Gilroy, Professor of American and English Literature, Department of English Language and Literature, King's College London * Giving us the central concept cosmopolitan criminal I read Dick Hobbs book in the same breath as a thriller. Lush Life combines in-depth knowledge, thorough analysis, great storytelling and inspiring vision. In short: social science at its cosmopolitan best. * Ulrich Beck, Professor of Sociology, University of Munich * Anyone familiar with Hobbs' works is aware of the wit and artistry of his writing style. In his usual fashion he offers a charming account of a diverse set of entrepreneurs, their zenith and nadir, the fluidity and mutative character of their associations, and the complexity of their actions, criminal career trajectories and motivations. The author is at his best when balancing wonderful narrative mechanics, humorous anecdotes, interesting specifics, punctilious descriptions and the voices of many from the pantheon of his researchs protagonists. * Georgios A. Antonopoulos, Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice * The importance of this book as a contemporaneous ethnographic study of the construction of organized crime should not be underestimated, it ranks among the classical 'top-drawer' empirical studies of criminality. * Rob Hornsby, Trends in Organized Crime * This is a detailed chronicle of the evolution of working-class entrepreneurial crime in Britain, and it is by turn illuminating, amusing, irreverent and full of pathos. It is a realist analysis that addresses the forms of criminality that are enmeshed in the everyday practice of some of our most marginalized, forgotten and vilified neighbourhoods. I strongly recommend that you read it. * Simon Winlow, Teesside University, British Journal of Criminology * Lush Life [...] could be subtitled How crime is not as neat and tidy as criminologists would like. Hobbs is telling us how he sees it rather than trying to create tidy empirical packages of academic theory. That is what makes Lush Life so interesting and important. It is often witty and always perceptive. * Paul Lashmar, Brunel University * Written in Hobbs' inimitable style, Lush Life draws extensively on invaluable data, which has been a lifetime in the collecting. Warm and engaging, at times oscillating between amusing and bleak, this book is a vital addition to your bookshelf. * The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles * In Lush Life Dick Hobbs has given us a book about crime that is more vivid, imaginative and complexly human than even the very best social science fictions. * Professor Les Back, Internet Journal of Criminology *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 145 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
545 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-966828-1 (9780199668281)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Person
Dick Hobbs is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Criminology Centre at the University of Essex, and Professor of Sociology at the University of Western Sydney. He previously held Chairs at the University of Durham and the London School of Economics. An ethnographer by trade, he is sceptical of the rise of criminology and has published widely on the sociologies of deviance, of East London, organized and professional crime, the night-time economy and the 2012 Olympics. His previous publications include Doing the Business (Oxford, 1988), Bad Business (Oxford, 1995), and Bouncers (Oxford, 2003 with Philip Hadfield, Stuart Lister and Simon Winlow). He is currently working on a number of publications based upon the 2012 London Olympics.
Content
1. Introduction: Dubious Ideologues and Illegal Entrepreneurs ; 2. A Malady of Modernity: Constructing Organised Crime in the UK ; 3. Malignant Cosmopolitanism: Precursors of Organised Crime ; 4. Mutant Proletarians: Class and Territoriality ; 5. The Houses In-Between: The Neighbourhood Firm on a Shifting Terrain ; 6. Small Faces: Entrepreneurial Youth and the State of Dogtown ; 7. Populating the Underworld: Armed Robbery ; 8. The Same Money?: Locating the Entrepreneurial Habitas ; 9. A Sense of Order: Violence, Rumour and Gossip ; 10. The Cosmopolitan Criminal ; 11. Concluding: A Community of Practice