This is a man’s world ... or least that’s how it looks in the journals

Mainstream criminology still tends to focus on gender as a control variable, ignoring the different pathways to crime followed by males and females. This leaves us with knowledge that we already have—males commit more criminal and delinquent acts than do females, but little information about the similarities and differences between men and women who commit crimes. On the other hand, feminist approaches tend to do one of two things: deal with girls and women only or deal with women and men separately to illuminate the differences. In this paper, we examine articles in three major journals, Criminology, Justice Quarterly, and Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, to explore the ways that gender is treated in mainstream criminology journals. Then, we will discuss the implications this has for feminist criminology.     

Role of Culture and Context: Ethical Issues in Research with Asian Americans and Immigrants in Intimate Violence

Ethical principles are often presented as universal, immutable rules. However, when conducting research with ethnic minority groups, such as Asian Americans and immigrants, ethical issues need to be placed within a sociocultural context as ethical responses are filtered through the specific value orientations and belief systems of the ethnic group under study. Further, when the group is a marginalized population, power dynamics complicate ethical principles of autonomy. The complexities are further accentuated with sensitive topics such as intimate violence or domestic violence. Consequently, ethical questions about autonomy, informed consent, confidentiality, limits to confidentiality, and protecting participants’ safety and reducing distress need to be at the forefront when planning intimate violence research. An overview of sociocultural context of Western biomedical ethics is presented and specific ethical issues that emerge when conducting intimate violence are discussed.     

Hawala: An underground haven for terrorists or social phenomenon?

In the wake of September 11, authorities have increasingly focused on an age-old method of banking and money transfer known as “hawala.” In this system, a local hawala dealer in one country (or area) takes money from a customer and (for a nominal commission) has an associate in another country (or area) give an equal amount of money to the recipient. This type of underground banking system remains resilient due to several key characteristics. These are: the system's simplicity, its inclusiveness (enabling it to function without any type of external support), and most importantly, its considerable prominence within, and adherence upon specific cultural and religious spheres. This article provides an overview of hawala banking, together with the historical and cultural milieu that gave rise to, and continues to foster it. It suggests that while Islam addresses the issue of debt transfer through the Islamic concept of hawala, the system is widely practiced through many parts of the world by both Muslim and non-Muslims alike. Therefore, to refer to the practice as wholly “Islamic” is erroneous. This study also demonstrates that the initiatives taken towards regulation and/or elimination of hawala are ill suited to deal with the operation of this particular system. This failure particularly reflects the lack of appreciation, on the part of authorities and policy-makers, for the broader social and cultural context in which hawala opearates. A more insightful understanding of the system will address such issues as competing legal paradigms, the local appeal of the system, as well as the likely negative consequences of current regulatory efforts. Thus, any attempts at regulating hawala should ensue with great cultural and religious sensitivity, and should address some of the larger issues that continue to uphold the system, such as the existence of inadequate economic infrastrcture in such nations as Afghanistan and Somalia.