https://doi.org/10.1177/13624806211029562 Theoretical Criminology 2021, Vol. 25(3) 361–378 © The Author(s) 2021 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/13624806211029562 journals.sagepub.com/home/tcr Theatrics of transnational criminal justice: Ethnographies of penality in a global age: Introduction to the Special Issue David Sausdal Lund University, Sweden Kjersti Lohne University of Oslo, Norway Abstract This special issue sets out to explore the Theatrics of Transnational Criminal Justice. ‘Why’, we ask, ‘do transnational criminal justice actors perform themselves as they do?’ ‘Why are their representations frequently, if not different from, then often quite dramatized versions of the average reality of their practices?’ ‘What does such dramatization tell us about not only the symbolism but also the structure and state of transnational criminal justice?’ And, more generally, ‘what do such performances of transnational criminal justice reveal about the nature of penal power in a global day and age?’ In probing such questions, the special issue draws together a number of accomplished ethnographers who have been exploring the performative nature of transnational criminal justice issues around the world, considering both international bodies such as Frontex, Europol, UNODC, the ICC as well as the many national actors involved in the prevention, policing and prosecution of border-crossing issues. Keywords Ethnography, globalization, performance, power, transnational crime, transnational criminal justice, international criminal law, transnational criminology, transnational policing Corresponding author: David Sausdal, Department of Sociology, Lund University, Sandgatan 11, Hus G, 221 00 Lund, Sweden. Email: david.sausdal@soc.lu.se 1029562TCR 0 0 10.1177/13624806211029562Theoretical CriminologySausdal and Lohne research-article 2021 Editorial