Abstract

Like the rest of the social sciences, criminology is dominated by Western scholars, literature and perspectives. This Westerncentrism of criminology means that non-Western criminological scholarship has largely been marginalised or ignored. This article contributes toward the ongoing efforts to decolonise criminology by arguing that the Malaysian intellectual, Syed Hussein Alatas (1928–2007), is worthy of greater inclusion in criminological research and teaching due to his pioneering scholarship. More specifically, Alatas deserves greater recognition within the criminological subfield of ‘crimes of the powerful’, an area within criminology which has been at the forefront of challenging the criminological status quo but which remains somewhat parochial. This article introduces Alatas’ most notable works and explains their relevance for contemporary criminology.