Life, Loss and Legacy

This introductory chapter sets the scene for the book by exploring how life, loss and legacy are central to criminology and indeed to criminological research. Yet these are concepts that remain on the periphery of debate and discussions, with academics seldom reflecting (openly at least) on the losses they experience. This chapter therefore argues the need to consider loss – and indeed the stories of those or that which have been lost – to highlight their/its legacy. It contends that telling the stories of those/that, which have been lost enables us, as criminologists, researchers and members of society, to better understand their significance and symbolism. We do this by employing a critical lens, which presents loss as the outcome of the structural violence permeating society, which ultimately results in death and destruction. Yet the legacy of The Lost continues with those of us who experience this during our research, and how we respond, interact with and utilize this loss says a lot about the discipline of criminology and the wider environment of academic capitalism.