Theorising a Lens of Labour: Re-thinking Gangs and Organised Crime in a Pan-Asian Context : WestminsterResearch

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Title	Theorising a Lens of Labour: Re-thinking Gangs and Organised Crime in a Pan-Asian Context
Authors	Atkinson-Sheppard, S.
Abstract	This book introduces a theoretical framework for considering young people’s involvement in gangs and organised crime. This framework – a ‘lens of labour’ proposes a new way of considering young people and their relationship with crime. The labour lens moves away from the problematic and arguably stigmatising ‘victim: offender’ dichotomy that permeates understandings of juvenile offending (Fionda, 2005) and instead positions labour and the need for young people to work at the centre of criminological discourse. The number of children engaged in work is substantial. UNICEF (2024) estimates that over 160 million young people worldwide are engaged in some form of labour. Yet there are significant gaps between the understanding of labour, which is often exploitative and includes elements of criminality, and studies of crime and violence. The lens of labour bridges this gap. By drawing on three ethnographic case studies conducted in Bangladesh, China, and Nepal, the book considers economic drivers for crime and the moral economy, reflecting on how social norms are constructed and reinforced within the context of organised crime (Arias and Grisaffi, 2021). The lens of labour integrates an ecological model of crime (Busch-Armendariz et al. 2017; Shay and McKay, 1942), focusing on macro, mezzo, and micro factors embedded within broader issues of coloniality. It highlights several related and deeply concerning themes: the commodification of children and the criminalisation of survival. In doing so, the book expands on the theoretical horizon and empirical foundation for understanding young people’s involvement in illicit economies. It reflects on the implications of this for future research, policy and practice as well as global understandings of juvenile offending, labour and crime.
Year	2026
Publisher	Palgrave Macmillan
Published	20 Sep 2026
ISBN	9783032334206
	9783032337412
	9783032334213
Web address (URL)	https://link.springer.com/book/9783032334206

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Theorising a Lens of Labour: Re-thinking Gangs and Organised Crime in a Pan-Asian Context

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