Sarah Fisher

Article: Radicalism in Law and Criminology: A Retrospective View of Critical Legal

Studies and Radical Criminology
Link: jstor.org/stable/1143962
Thesis: in blue
The scene depicts a chain of inspiration. Throughout history, writing has been used as a
means to track perspectives throughout the world. Each piece of writing has been influenced by
some experience. By understanding the historical context that inspired a piece of writing, you
can gain helpful insight into the underlying message of an article. Radicalism can be defined as
the belief that society needs to be changed, and that these changes are only possible through
revolutionary means.1 Radicalism is dependent on historical context and influences. In the
article Radicalism in Law and Criminology: A Retrospective View of Critical Legal Studies and
Radical Criminology, authors Albert P. Cardarelli and Stephen C. Hicks are inspired by the era
and literature around them. As the reader I can use kairos to compare radicalism in 1993 when
this article was written, to present day radicalism. Furthermore, by evaluating what influenced
the populist and historical approach of this article, I as a writer will grow in terms of rhetorical
skills and composition studies.
Connect affinity worknet and bibliographic worknet:
The history and credentials of the authors influenced their bibliographic references.
Coauthor Stephen C. Hicks is a graduate from Cambridge University and Virginia Law School.
Hicks is a philosopher who teaches at Rockford University. He directs the Center for Ethics and
Entrepreneurship, and he has lectured at law schools on every continent. Among this article, he
has over 30 publications on legal theory and the history of comparative law.2 In this article, he
cites Christopher Lasch most often. Lasch was an American historian and Populist who tried to
help Americans come to terms with their current political atmosphere.3 Lasch has written many
famous books and is commonly known for writing in response to national political pressures.
Furthermore, Laschs populist ideas shape the thesis of this article. The thesis is that through an
evaluation of ever changing historical context, we can understand the fall of radicalism.
Connect bibliographic worknet and semantic worknet:
Cardarelli & Hicks were inspired by their bibliographic choices. These choices then in
turn influence the conservative approach to the wording of the article. The most commonly cited
source in the article, Lasch, gave insight on populism. When Cardarelli & Hicks wrote on
political theory, they often cites Lasch in order to show populist motives of political critiques.
Hicks writes things like radicalism, and criminology. Criminology can be defined as the scientific
1 Vocabulary.com Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2016. <https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/radicalism>.
2 Suffolk University. Encyclopedia.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 23 Sept. 2016.
<http://www.suffolk.edu/law/faculty/Stephen_Hicks.php>.

3 "Christopher Lasch." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 23 Sep.

2016<http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

Sarah Fisher
study of crime, including its causes, responses by law enforcement, and methods of prevention. 4 In
this article, Cardarelli & Hicks reference Lasch as means to prove radicalists are responsible for
being the critics of society.
Connect semantic worknet to choral worknet:
The wording in this article takes a very conservative approach to radicalism. In the
article, Cardarelli & Hicks use the word Criminology most often. Criminology is used to
describe the history involved with radicalism. One historical pattern that could explain the
conservative semantics in this article is youth protest. Cardarelli & Hicks call the 1960s the
Decade of Protest. This time period was given that name because many college students led
movements to end inequality. These movements were filled with extreme measures done by
students for the purpose of solving civil rights and institutional violence problems. However, the
extreme protests took a turn in the 1970s. In the 1970s these students felt defeated when they
could not stop the Vietnamese War. Cardarelli & Hicks explain that this feeling of defeat caused
a downward trend of youth radicalism. Because youth protest settled down for a period before
this article was written the author probably assumed youth were less interested in leading
radical protests. Furthermore, youth extremist education declined as well. The article explains
how three-thousand colleges in the United States were competing for a declining student
population in this time period. Therefore, colleges defined their academic interests more
narrowly to appeal more to young people at this time (548). Additionally, as programs became
less guided toward radical approach, Berkeleys School of Criminology was closed. The article
elaborates on the closing and says this school was closed for leftism. Many people thought that
radical movements were done being taught and practiced at the institutional level. Because of
this increased specialization, the classroom environment shifted and the New Left ultimately
suffered. Because youth protest was at an all time low, colleges stopped offering radical
programs which in turn made this time period far less radical. Therefore, because the semantics
in this article came from the bibliographic sources who were influenced by the era around them,
the historical context influenced the choral context of criminology.
Connect choral worknet to present day using kairos.
The historical context that influenced this article has changed since it was originally
written. The thesis to this article is that the New Left mentality is dieing out. By using kairos,
one can look back on what happened politically and what has changed since then. When this
article was written, the past seven of the ten presidential terms were held by republican
candidates. In the authors concluding statement, it reads The ineffectiveness of the left
supports the ascendancy of the right. However, this has changed in recent elections. As its
clear to see, now the division in the republican party has lead to an ascendancy for the left. As
time passes, the historical context will continue to change.
Show how kairos shapes and defines our interpretation of radicalism depending
on historical context.
This article puts a lot of emphasis on the connection between historical context and
kairos. Combined with my knowledge of the civil rights movement, and currently today, I know
4 Crowe, Earl. What is Criminology. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.

Sarah Fisher
that what is considered radical, or extreme is based on the given historical context and location.
Radical in the 1960 Decade of Protest was very different compared to the aftermath of the
1970s Vietnam War protests. As the article explains in its closing statement, As new ideas
enter the world, the context of situations will change. These new ideologies will likely be
replaced and its more likely that the alternatives will emerge to be challenged themselves
(518). This means the context of situations will remain ever changing as the time period and
historical circumstances change. The interpretation in which radical exists, is dependent on
what is happening around the writer.
Show how i learned composition and rhetorical skills by comparing the timeline
change:
After a thorough comparison of the timeline change from the original articles date, to
now, I have grown in terms of my composition and rhetoric skills. By understanding the timeline
of events in national crisis, I can understand the underlying pressures that influence any given
work. In this article I learned how kairos can be used throughout all of history to show the
changes in meaning of any given subject. Radical today has a different meaning than it did in
1960, 1970, and 1980. Through my analysis I have learned that the era of an article can really
put an emphasis on or sway an authors point of view. Therefore, by identifying historical
influences, I can more easily find an author's thesis and ultimately judge a their ethos.