One Woman’s Story of Violence: A Radical Interactionist and Narrative Criminological Approach
2nd November 2026
Bristol University Press publishes "One Woman’s Story of Violence: A Radical Interactionist and Narrative Criminological Approach" (2026), the English edition of "Io volevo ucciderla. Per una criminologia dell’incontro", by criminologists Adolfo Ceretti and Lorenzo Natali, originally published in Italy by Raffaello Cortina Editore in 2022.
Drawing on a radical interactionist and narrative approach, the authors explore the story of Stefania Albertani, who was convicted of murdering her older sister. For years, she had claimed not to remember the murder. However, through a series of encounters with the two criminologists, she gradually develops an awareness of her actions and the meanings underlying them.
The narrative reconstructs Stefania's violent cosmology, tracing a family history marked by overwhelming expectations, repeated humiliation, and a profound sense of inadequacy. Against this backdrop, her relationship with her sister takes on an increasingly troubled significance, becoming embedded in a worldview in which violence acquires its own meaning.
The encounters between Stefania Albertani and the two criminologists thus create a dialogical space in which storytelling becomes a means of understanding the complexity of violent behavior and opening up new possibilities for transformation, including through restorative justice.
For more information about the book, click here.