British/Irish Section Conferences

2024 Conference Announcement

The British/Irish Section of The European Group for the Study of Deviance and Social Control will be holding a conference in Cardiff, Wales from 3-5th April 2024.The conference will be supported by the Hulsman Foundation which was established in 2009 to preserve the legacy of Louk Hulsman’s work by making accessible publications, possible networks and initiatives that promote, support, or have realised ways to deal with problematic situations in society without the involvement of the criminal justice system.

PROGRAMME

INDEPENDENCE, ABOLITION AND RESISTANCE

Reflecting on and responding to the inspirations generated by the launch of Hulsman’s translated work as well as suggestions made by friends and comrades at the annual European Group conference in Turku, 2023, the themes of this conference are Independence, Abolition and Resistance. The decision to hold the conference in Wales could hardly be more opportune. The only common law country in the world to have its own government and parliament without its own justice system, the highly anomalous system in Wales also boasts some of the worst justice outcomes in Europe. From repressive policing practices, evidence of widespread racial inequality, high profile cases of wrongful conviction, to the shameful (but unavoidable) fact that Wales now boasts a higher imprisonment rate than any other country in western Europe. A country once at the forefront of industrial capitalism, Wales’ former mining communities now carry the physical and social scars of economic abandonment and state disinvestment, as well as the legacy of some of the gravest environmental and corporate crimes recorded in British history.

The history of Wales, however, is also littered with examples of conflict, struggle and resistance. From the Rebecca riots, the birth of the Chartist movement, the Miners’ Strike of the 1980s, to the fight to save and defend the future of the Welsh language,  Wales can also offer hope and sanctuary to those committed to the causes of social justice and accountability. It is the combination of these grave problems alongside such historically rooted commitments to protest and resistance that take us to Wales.

CALL FOR PAPERS

‘Independence, Abolition and Resistance’

Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, 3-5th April 2024

The British/Irish Section of The European Group for the Study of Deviance and Social Control

(Supported by the Hulsman Foundation)

We are seeking individual papers, posters, panels, art works and performances that address (in the broadest possible way) the three themes of our conference: Independence, Abolition and Resistance. Papers can include works in progress, completed research, theoretical, comparative, or policy focused papers and we welcome both individual and team contributions. We particularly welcome papers responding to the following issues: 

• The limits of devolved autonomy and independence
• Understandings of abolitionism
• Critical pedagogy and abolitionist pedagogy and praxis
• Genocide
• Crimes of the powerful
• History
• Police powers and brutality
• Protest and resistance

Please send all abstracts (maximum of 250 words) to both Andrea Beckmann (abeckmann94@outlook.com) and Sam Hanks (s.j.hanks@swansea.ac.uk) before the extended closing date for papers on 9th February 2024.

For further details and information about the conference please contact either Andrea Beckmann (abeckmann94@outlook.com) or Sam Hanks (s.j.hanks@swansea.ac.uk)

REGISTRATION

Please download and complete the booking form and send this to both abeckmann94@outlook.com and s.j.hanks@swansea.ac.uk by 31 January, 2024 at the latest. We have selected dates where there are no major events currently scheduled to ensure lower accommodation costs. However, this can change so booking early is advised. Please see the attached list of hotels for some ideas on where to stay.

History

The British/Irish section of the European Group also holds a regular conference. The last conference, hosted by Andrea Beckman and Tony Ward, was held in Lincoln from 26-27th April 2014. It was entitled ‘Penal Law, Abolitionism and Anarchism’. Click here for the conference report.

For many years Andrea Beckmann has been the representative and treasurer of the English [or British/Irish section as it is also known] section of the European Group for the Study of Deviance and Social Control. She organized the third annual conference of the “British section of the European Group for the Study of Deviance and Social Control”. It was held in Lincoln. Its title was “Conditions of Domination and Modes of Resistance” and the venue was the Victorian Women’s Prison inside Lincoln Castle [17-19 April 2001].

Andrea also co-organized [together with Dr. Tony Ward at Hull University] the eighth annual conference of the “British section of the European Group for the Study of Deviance and Social Control” that was held in Hull. Its title was “Order and Violence: Delimiting control” and the venue was Hull’s Dennison Centre [19.-21.4.2006].

In April 2010 Andrea organised the annual meeting [later called the ‘Phoenix’ event] of the British/Irish section of the European Group for the Study of Deviance and Social Control in Manchester.

In 2014 Andrea organised a British/Irish section of the European Group for the Study of Deviance and Social Control conference.   In her position as Brit./Irish section representative as well as in her position as secretary of the international Hulsman Foundation she organised an international, very successful conference on “Penal law, Abolitionism and Anarchism” that ran from Saturday 26th – Sunday 27th April 2014 and took place in the dramatic venue that is the old Shire Hall in Nottingham.

Andrea co-organised an international conference of the British/Irish section of the European Group for the Study of Deviance and Social Control on “Defending and celebrating the Freedom to dissent: Critical social sciences and Praxis” together with Dr. Monish Bhatia at Abertay University in Dundee, Scotland which took place from the 31.3. to 1.4. 2016.

In 2020 the British/Irish section was going to hold another conference that due to COVID could not take place until the 22.10.-23.10.2021 and its theme is: “Redressing the harms and violence of ‘othering’ – towards the abolition of structures, discourses and practices of ‘othering’ “. It will take place at Nottingham’s Albert Hall.

Info:

abeckmann94@outlook.com