Towards a Social and Transnational History of Penal Abolitionist Ideas and Movements in Europe (since the 1960s)

Résumé En

This chapter suggests a way to produce and analyze the history of the social movements and ideas around penal abolitionism in Europe, using methodological and conceptual tools provided by social sciences. First, some elements of the history of the movement are recalled, so that the reader understands its nature. Then, a detailed review of the sources and the state of the literature on the topic is provided, including its limitations and shortcomings. Finally, the chapter explains how our doctoral research intends to overcome these shortcomings through an alternative analytical and methodological approach: the complexity surrounding the identity and aims of abolitionism implies adopting an interactionist and constructionist approach, and drawing on the social history of ideas and the sociology of social movements in a transnational perspective.