Crime Fiction and National Identities in the Global Age : Critical Essays

"To read a crime novel today largely simulates the exercise of reading newspapers or watching the news. The speed and frequency with which today's bestselling works of crime fiction are produced allow them to mirror and dissect nearly contemporaneous socio-political events and conflicts. This collection examines this phenomenon and offers original, critical, essays on how national identity appears in international crime fiction in the age of populism and globalization. These essays address topics such as the array of competing nationalisms in Europe; Indian secularism versus Hindu communalism; the populist rhetoric tinged with misogyny or homophobia in the United States; racial, religious or ethnic others who are sidelined in political appeals to dominant native voices; and the increasing economic chasm between a rich and poor. More broadly, these essays inquire into themes such as how national identity and various conceptions of masculinity are woven together, how dominant native cultures interact with migrant and colonized cultures to explore insider/outsider paradigms and identity politics, and how generic and cultural boundaries are repeatedly crossed in postcolonial detective fiction"-- Provided by publisher Dedication 6 Table of Contents 8 Introduction: National Identity and International Crime Fiction in the Age of Populism and Globalization • Julie H. Kim 10 Getting Fooled Again by Populism: Detecting the Origins of American Hate in Spike Lee’s Summer of SamTim Libretti 22 Australian Crime Fiction: Such Is Life for Hard-Boiled Larrikins • Janice Shaw 44 Beyond Machismo/Beyond Modernity: Imagining a Postnational Society in Domingo Villar’s Inspector Caldas Novels • Heath A. Diehl 66 Black Money, Gray Skies: Financial Crimes in Modern Icelandic Thrillers • Jean Gregorek 86 Imagined Geographies and Colonial Marginals in Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow • Somdatta Bhattacharya 110 “A new beginningfor good people”: National Identity and the New South Africa in Deon Meyer’s Crime Fiction • Colette Guldimann 124 Sacred Games: The Interplay of Nationalism and Existentialism in a Multicultural Nation • Somali Saren 147 “Congress has never heard a voice like mine”: Law, Legal Fictions and National Legal Culture in Native American Detective Writing • Alexandra Hauke 170 Memory, Witnessing and Race at the End of the World: Rick Moody’s “The Albertine Notes” as Metaphysical Detective Fiction • Andrew Hock Soon Ng 197 From Istanbul to the East End in the Work of Barbara Nadel • Peter Clandfield 218 The Global Hybridity of Sherlock Holmes • Neil McCaw 242 About the Contributors 264 Index 266 Introduction: National identity and international crime fiction in the age of populism and globalization / Julie H. Kim -- Getting fooled again by populism : detecting the origins of American hate in Spike Lee's Summer of Sam / Tim Libretti -- Australian crime fiction : such is life for hard-boiled larrikins / Janice Shaw -- Beyond machismo/beyond modernity : imagining a postnational society in Domingo Villar's Inspector Caldas novels / Heath A. Diehl -- Black money, gray skies : financial crimes in modern Icelandic thrillers / Jean Gregorek -- Imagined geographies and colonial marginals in Miss Smilla's feeling for snow / Somdatta Bhattacharya -- "A new beginning for good people" : national identity and the New South Africa in Deon Meyer's crime fiction / Colette Guldimann -- Sacred games : the interplay of nationalism and existentialism in a multicultural nation / Somali Saren -- "Congress has never heard a voice like mine" : law, legal fictions and national legal culture in Native American detective writing / Alexandra Hauke -- Memory, witnessing and race at the end of the world : Rick Moody's "The Albertine notes" as metaphysical detective fiction / Andrew Hock Soon Ng -- From Istanbul to the East End in the work of Barbara Nadel / Peter Clandfield -- The global hybridity of Sherlock Holmes / Neil McCaw