The Spectre of Crime: Photography, Law and Ethics

Social Semiotics, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 133-149, April 2006

18 Pages Posted: 8 Feb 2020

See all articles by Katherine Biber

Katherine Biber

University of Technology Sydney, Faculty of Law

Date Written: April 2006

Abstract

A grainy series of surveillance photographs was tendered into evidence at the trial of a young Aboriginal man accused of robbing a bank. Two police officers testified that they recognised him from the photographs. On appeal to the High Court of Australia, the judges thought that the hooded bandit in the image looked like the spectre from Hamlet. This article uses the discourse of ''spectrality'' to explore the consequences for law and ethics when haunted by the transgressive image. It examines the confrontation between the foundational illegality of the Australian nation, and the indigenous man who is accused of a crime against property.

Keywords: race, crime, photography, Aboriginality, spectre, Hamlet

Suggested Citation

Biber, Katherine, The Spectre of Crime: Photography, Law and Ethics (April 2006). Social Semiotics, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 133-149, April 2006, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1246062

Katherine Biber (Contact Author)

University of Technology Sydney, Faculty of Law ( email )

Sydney
Australia

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