First, to understand what criminology really is, and how to think like a criminologist will allow me to begin using my criminological imagination, asking specific questions and contextualising the information correctly.
Graffiti; Art or Crime? That is the question. From the gang tags we see on every street corner and shutter door to the murals in Australia, each has a message that the ‘artist’ wished to convey. Us, as the reader, has a responsibility to attempt to read it in the way the artist wants us to, whether it’s as practical as a territorial tag or a political message.
It’s important to consider when exploring crime what is socially acceptable and unacceptable. This changes over time, like homosexuality, rough sleeping and suicide.
The TMA01 asks about graffiti. Write a short reply of approximately 400 words to your friend explaining that while this might look like a straightforward act of crime, definitions of graffiti are contested and what has happened to the statue can be understood in different ways. Explain that while some people may see what has occurred as crime, others may see it as art or political resistance (or perhaps a combination of those factors).
It’s regarding ACAB graffiti on the statue of Marianne in france. She is meant to represent values of liberty, equality and fraternity. These are republican values, and the graffiti could be against this; an avenue worth exploring, though doesn’t hold much water due to the nature of the tag. More recently, the place has been home to protests against war in several countries, remembrance memorials for the victims lost in terror attacks and a place to show solidarity with social movements like black lives matter and international womens’ day.
