ABSTRACT
The primary focus of this chapter is to outline the overarching socio-structural and politico-economic context within which this research is situated. To this end, a thorough overview of the research location is offered, charting both its industrious rise and rapid decline. More specifically, attention is drawn to its position as a ‘glocal node’ deeply tethered to the wider neoliberal global economy. In doing so the chapter highlights the pervasive process of neoliberal economic globalisation and the concomitant globalisation of the illicit, exploring how such activity manifests itself and often culminates in what is referred to in this book as deviant glocalization. Essentially, having provided a small glimpse of the contemporary global context of crime and harm and their glocal manifestations, this chapter paints a more accurate picture of our current condition and the reality of life on the precipice.
