Queer Criminology and Ethnography

This chapter outlines what is entailed by queer criminological ethnographies. It first discusses the methodologies and findings of notable ethnographic works about LGBTQ populations, including those not originally designed as ethnographies, and also briefly reviews relevant interview-based or participatory action studies. It next explores discussions of queer epistemology in queer criminological work and the social science enterprise to evaluate to what extent there is a “queer method” and what its organizing principles are (or should be). It then evaluates several debates relevant to conducting ethnography in queer criminology, including methodological and political considerations such as how to situate the work and whether traditional ethnographic approaches are appropriate. The chapter presents detailed descriptions of priority areas for future research, including international projects. The chapter closes with a discussion of policy implications that may emerge from queer criminology ethnographies, which are relevant not only for criminal justice settings but for criminology as a field.