Conquest traditions, conflict transformation, and the cultural boundaries of criminology: Rigoberta Mench and criminological science

摘要

As criminology broadens its traditional concerns to encompass genocide, mass violence, conflict transformation, and peacemaking, it can benefit from exposure to the experiences and epistemologies of actors beyond its conventional borders. Here, I explicate the testimonio of indigenous rights activist Rigoberta Mench, arguing that an encounter between Mench and criminology helps us appreciate the significance of culture for our understanding of conflict and makes us aware of how criminological science is itself a cultural tradition. Interpreting the development of Mench's consciousness, identity, and activism as a dialectical relationship between her cultural traditions and contemporary experience, I examine the 'Conquest traditions' that Mench inherits, identify stages in her development of a systematic understanding of oppression and commitment to resistance, and explore how her traditional beliefs are transformed by her new understanding and commitment to activism and conflict transformation. I then ask how Mench's development and the dynamic understanding of culture it entails can speak to a criminology oriented towards conflict transformation and peacemaking, and consider the epistemological implications of approaching her testimonio as 'unorthodox criminology.' I conclude by exploring ways in which Mench's work can make us aware of the cultural boundaries of criminological science.