Transnational commercial surrogacy in the Third-World: A criminology introduction to post-colonialism

Abstract

This dissertation is using the practice of transnational commercial surrogacy in Third-World
countries to illustrate some gaps and struggles of the discipline of criminology. It is arguing that
criminology seems to be very much rooted in a specific cultural and historical context, and thus it
struggles to accommodate certain concepts. The field of criminology seems to have a hard time to
open up its boundaries to new issues and to theoretical and analytical tools from other disciplines
such as post-colonial perspectives. Although, it recently tries to analyse transnational issues, it
remains somehow located in an 'Occidentalist' or 'Orientalist' tradition (Cain, 2000). It is in light of
critiques formulated by criminologists (e.g.; Cohen, 1988/2009; Cain, 2000; Agozino, 2004;
Bugess-Proctor, 2006; Richie, 2011; Bowling, 2011) that this dissertation is inscribed. The issue of
transnational commercial surrogacy is growing, and should concern criminologists as it gives the
opportunity to “clear the underbrush” of Occidental thinking (Cain, 2000: 250), in order to face the
challenges of our times (Garland and Sparks, 2000). This practice appeals various theories and
analytical tools that so far have been ignored or misused by criminologists. Therefore, it is argued
that transnational commercial surrogacy in Third-World countries is an issue that gives the
opportunity to criminologists to expand their research agenda to face the recent global social
transformations.