In Paradise: Metaphors of Money-Laundering Brighten up the Dark Side of Globalization

Abstract

The editors of this volume alert us to the multiple fortunes of metaphors — they can be mirrors, magicians and mutinies. The present chapter deals with the second incarnation, exploring the magic at work in metaphorical language. As magicians, metaphors construct social reality. In this sense, globalization is a metaphorical construction and this book shows how different metaphors shape the global. My contribution concentrates on the ‘dark side’ of globalization (Williams, 2001:145), specifically on global financial crime. Described as ‘the process by which proceeds from a criminal activity are disguised to conceal their illicit origins’, the dark side escapes the purview of legality - the ‘bright side’ of globalization - making it difficult to grasp and fight (Schott, 2003:I-1). Accordingly, we rely on metaphor to ‘illuminate’ us. Global financial crime is a complex technical matter, with criminals using sophisticated electronic banking techniques and taking advantage of the difficulties of following cross-border money flows. In fact, keeping up with frequent innovations in criminal techniques is a constant concern for law enforcement specialists. For the non-specialist it is almost impossible to understand how the processes and practices of global financial crime actually work. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that metaphors are employed as coping mechanisms to reduce complexity.