Sémiotique judiciaire : crime et signe

Abstract

The science of crime, or forensic science, crystallized at around the same time as gothic and detective literature in the latter part of the nineteenth century. A large portion of the early crime-detection techniques of the era were derived from, or modeled on, those employed by fictional detectives such as C. Auguste Dupin and Sherlock Holmes. Vice versa, new forensic techniques were incorporated by fiction writers so as to make their stories more realistic, and in line with the emerging cultural scientism of the era. The connection between forensic science and crime fiction continues to this day. This merger can be called forensic semiotics, which aims to study the connection between real crime, fictional crime, and the sign systems involved in both. The objective is to argue that crime is a fertile ground for semiotic analysis, since it can provide insights not only into the cultural dimensions of crime, but also into the type of mindset that characterizes criminal acts. It is claimed that forensic semiotics would greatly enhance and broaden the scientific terrains of both forensic science and criminology.