Forensic science in contemporary American popular culture : gender, crime, and science

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Title:

Author:

Steenberg, Lindsay, 1976-

ISBN:

9780415891882

Personal Author:

Steenberg, Lindsay, 1976-

Publication Information:

New York : Routledge, c2013.

Physical Description:

xii, 221 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.

Series:

Routledge research in cultural and media studies ; 45

Routledge research in cultural and media studies ; 45.

Contents:

Retrofit forensics: excavating the mythic origins of forensic science -- The forensic women's gothic: the postfeminism and expertise -- Forensic archaeologies on crime television: science and gender as seen on TV -- The CSI effect -- Forensic science at the museum -- Forensic science and lifestyle -- Conclusion: the evidence lies.

Subject Term:

Forensic sciences -- Social aspects -- United States.

Criminal investigation in mass media.

Copies:

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Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Copy	Status
Searching... 1:IIEMSA	1:GEN-BOOK	33168025573029	363.250973 S814F 2012	1	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

This book identifies, traces, and interrogates contemporary American culture's fascination with forensic science. It looks to the many different sites, genres, and media where the forensic has become a cultural commonplace. It turns firstly to the most visible spaces where forensic science has captured the collective imagination: crime films and television programs. In contemporary screen culture, crime is increasingly framed as an area of scientific inquiry and, even more frequently, as an area of concern for female experts. One of the central concerns of this book is the gendered nature of expert scientific knowledge, as embodied by the ubiquitous character of the female investigator. Steenberg argues that our fascination with the forensic depends on our equal fascination with (and suspicion of) women's bodies--with the bodies of the women investigating and with the bodies of the mostly female victims under investigation.