From Modern to Postmodern Epistemology? The ‘Relativist Turn’

Abstract

This article responds to a recent article by Hallsworth (2000), which claims that contemporary changes in penal practice indicate the rise of a postmodern penality. We identify three issues raised by Hallsworth's argument, encompassing methodological, empirical and conceptual questions. We argue that his approach exhibits some methodological problems, as well as a conceptual conflation between 'postmodernity' as a social formation and 'postmodernism' as an anti-foundational epistemology for social inquiry. Given the problems identified here, we suggest that a convincing case for a 'postmodern penality' has not yet been made.