Baturin Yu.M., Polubinskaya S.V. “I do not know what is genius…” Peer review of A. E. Zhalinskii selected works in 4 volumes / comp. by K. A. Barysheva, O. L. Dubovik, I. N. Nagornaya, A. A. Popov; edited by O. L. Dubovik; National Research University “Higher School of Economics” – M.: Publisher of the Higher School of Economics, 2014-2016.

Abstract: This review on the 4 volumes edition of “Selected Works” of A. E. Zhalinskii describes the main fields of his research, many of which have had a significant impact on the theory of criminology, criminal law and comparative legal studies in in Russia. At first, the authors of the review offer the reader a short portrait of the personality of A. E. Zhalinskii, then the consecutive review of the volumes, and last but not least, general characteristics of all his scientific creativity and thinking as a whole.The edition includes the publications of different years, illustrating the author’s views, especially on social functions and methodology of criminology (vol. 1), goals and ways for criminal law’s updating (vol. 2), content and main tasks of criminal political science (vol. 3), legal profession and methodology of legal research (vol. 4). The scope of interests and encyclopedic knowledge allowed A. E. Zhalinskii to go beyond the boundaries of traditional legal studies and provide new directions for the development of national criminal law and criminology. The well-grounded criticism of the current state of the research in these fields and the proposed theoretical-instrumental approach as the tool for its renovation deserve attention from the professionals. The works of A. E. Zhalinskii on the links and interactions between criminal law and economics as well as on the role of criminal law in the system of the state control on economic activities are particularly interesting. The review noted the contribution of the author to modernization of legal education in Russia, especially, the development of a new academic discipline, describing the essence of legal profession. The publications of A. E. Zhalinskii on foreign criminal law and comparative studies are not ignored in the review. In the review the author appears as an original thinker and scholar, whose works are not tied to a specific period of time of its publication, but are methodological in nature.

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