Description
Trade Review“Lewis provides a rigorous examination of hate crimes as a cultural product. The first analysis of its kind, the author has eloquently captured hate crimes as a seemingly impossible marriage of an oppressive criminal justice system and an aspiring civil rights movement. A deeply valuable contribution.” -- Michael J. Coyle * California State University, Chico *
"Beautifully written and powerfully argued,
Tough on Hate? cracks a counterintuitive puzzle: how mainstream understandings and denunciations of hate crime magnify rather than mitigate its social harm. A marvelous and important book."
-- Thomas A. Guglielmo * George Washington University *
"Lewis skillfully analyzes the rhetoric around hate crimes, examining news coverage, political hearings, legislation, and documentary films, and deploying theories from diverse disciplines in a way that will engage American Studies scholars." * American Studies *
"Lewis’ book is relevant, thoughtful and very well argued.
Tough on Hate is a highly valuable work that offers a perspective that compliments, advances, and challenges existing scholarship. Its greatest contribution is its critical central point: that combatting contemporary bigotry must be reassessed and expanded to include not only sensationalized violence, but other pervasive yet often ignored harms, that prejudice continues to inflict in our society." * Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books *
"Lewis’s presentation of the cultural politics of hate crimes is not only thought provoking and courageous but also has a lasting and valuable contribution. The coverage of smaller nuances within the topic, richness of the data, depth and objectivity of the analyses, and eloquence of the language make this book a must read for anyone who has the slightest interest in hate crime and is not afraid of having his or her perceived notion being challenged." * Criminal Justice Review *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
1. Introduction: The Cultural Politics of Hate Crimes
2. The Invention of Hate Crimes
3. The Nation and Post-Difference Politics
4. Cultural Criminalization and the Figure of the Hater
5. Hate Crime Victimhood and Post-Difference Citizenship
Epilogue: Challenging Hate Crimes on a Cultural Front
Appendix: Methods and Sources
Notes
Index
