Taking stock: the establishment of a distinctive criminological tradition

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer an insider account of the establishment of Hong Kong University (HKU’s) Master of Social Sciences in Criminology.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is biographical in approach, based on the author’s recollections and departmental documentation relating to the establishment of the MSocSc criminology degree.

Findings

The author argues that for all the practical complications, a distinctive criminological tradition was forged in the early years that has had a lasting influence. The paper concludes by considering the challenges faced by criminology in contemporary Hong Kong.

Originality/value

The paper provides an account of the origins and development of academic criminology in Hong Kong.

Citation

McLaughlin, E. (2016), "Taking stock: the establishment of a distinctive criminological tradition", Social Transformations in Chinese Societies, Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 8-20. https://doi.org/10.1108/STICS-05-2016-005