Meditative Reflections on Nils Christie's 'Words on Words' Through an African Lens
Froestad, J. & Shearing, C. 2013. Meditative Reflections on Nils Christie’s ‘Words on Words’ through an African Lens. Restorative Justice Journal: An International Journal, 1(1): 31-46
15 Pages Posted: 6 Dec 2015
Date Written: 2013
Abstract
Like so much else that comes from the pen of Nils Christie, his “Words on Words” that have inspired this special issue, and with which it begins, have, as they so often do, inspired us to engage in a meditative reflection on his words and their implications for our thinking and practice. We have sought, through these reflections on the wisdom of Christie’s words, to better understand the security governance practices we have been studying, developing and, sometimes, promoting.
In thinking about issues of security and justice we have, for some time, both together and separately, sought to use the richness and the variety of the institutions and practices that constitute governance across the African continent -- something that Bruce Baker (2008) and others like Etannibi Alemika (2009) have done so much to reveal -- to stimulate our criminological imaginations. With this in mind, we will use an African lens, and specifically a Southern African lens, as the basis for our reflections. The lens we have selected is an experiment in local capacity security governance that we have been involved in developing, and reflecting upon.
Keywords: restorative justice; Nils Christie
JEL Classification: K14; H70
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation