Narrating Justice and Hope: How Good Stories Counter Crime and Harm

The power of storytelling in troubling times

Violence, pain and punishment dominate portrayals of social problems but the reality is more complex. In the world of actual people and experience, other, more hopeful stories are told in relation to crime and harm: narratives of justice, cooperation, kindness, and redemption. Narrating Justice and Hope examines the rich potential for narratives to do good in the context of interpersonal harm and the devastating social conditions of the present moment-including climate crisis, political polarization, and interconnected systems of inequality. Featuring a stellar list of contributors from across the globe, this volume asks: How do people produce good stories in the context of these harms? What types of narratives will create lasting social change? What does it take to tell good stories?

Each chapter examines subjects ranging from the success stories of formerly incarcerated people, women speaking out about sexual violence, and young climate activists. Throughout Narrating Justice and Hope, stories and storytelling thwart trouble, foster healing and connection, and envision better futures. The collection also grapples with critical issues including the nature of good, the performative nature of storytelling, and the hazards of exploiting subjugated people’s stories. With chapters from a number of well-known scholars, this volume will be an important contribution for sociology, criminology, and legal scholars.

Lois Presser (Editor)
Lois Presser is Professor of Sociology at the University of Tennessee. She is the author or co-editor of seven books including Unsaid: Analyzing Harmful Silences, Inside Story: How Narrative Drive Mass Harm, and Narrative Criminology with Sveinung Sandberg.

Jennifer Fleetwood (Editor)
Jennifer Fleetwood is Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Goldsmiths, University of London. She is the author of Drug Mules: Women in the International Cocaine Trade. She edited The Emerald Handbook of Narrative Criminology with Lois Presser, Thomas Ugelvik and Sveinung Sandberg.

Sveinung Sandberg (Editor)
Sveinung Sandberg is Professor of Criminology at the University of Oslo, Norway. He is the coauthor or co-editor of six books, including Street Capital: Black Cannabis Dealers in a White Welfare State and Narrative Criminology with Lois Presser.