ABSTRACT

This book provides an anthropological exploration of the ways in which crime is perceived and defined, focusing on notions of truth, intentionality, and evidence. The chapters contain rich ethnographic case studies drawn from work in the Middle East, Africa, India, Mexico and Europe. A variety of instances are discussed, from court proceedings, police reports and newspapers to moments of conflict resolution and reconciliation. Through analysis of this material, the authors reflect on how perception of an act as a crime can differ and how the definition of crime may not be shared by all societies. The approach takes into consideration local standards as well as social, legal and contextual constraints.

chapter |9 pages

Introduction

Crime: Truth, intentionality and evidence

chapter 1|18 pages

Questioning the truth

Ideals of justice and trial techniques in India

chapter 2|18 pages

Evidence, certainty, and doubt

Judge’s knowledge in Iranian criminal sanctioning

chapter 6|19 pages

“To lose oneself while acting”

Crime and forgiveness in the Mixe highlands of Oaxaca, Mexico

chapter 7|18 pages

Translating evidentiary practices and technologies of truth finding

Oath taking as witness testimony in plural legal configurations in rural Morocco

chapter 8|17 pages

A faded narrative

Reconstruction and restitution in medico-legal expertise in India

chapter 9|16 pages

Technologies of truth and access to justice

Becoming an apartheid victim in contemporary South Africa