Dear comrades and colleagues of the European Group
Welcome to the October newsletter of the European Group for the Study of Deviance and Social Control. We’ve continued to miss everyone – and especially as we would have had the conference last month. We are sure you agree it was a loss of our yearly gathering, but we continue collectively the spirit of the EG, even if from a distance!
It goes without saying that these are trying times for many people, including personally, politically and for many professionally. We know some of you will be starting back to, or continuing, teaching and researching in very different circumstances, and hope that you each have time for respite and to look after yourselves. At the same time, we know that the continued failure of various states to control the covid-19 situation, whilst simultaneously expanding social controls, is a key focus of our times. It is indeed such periods under which we reflect on the value of groups like the EG to continue to work toward understanding and addressing harms and crimes of the powerful, as well as to monitor expansive surveillant controls.
With this in mind, we are pleased to say that we have now published online the collated information relating to Covid-19 controls with Statewatch. At present we have nine countries included, but if you are interested in developing this please click the link on the landing page, or get in touch with us. We wish to thank all the country representatives and colleagues who have developed this – some did not wish to be named, and as such we send a huge collective thank you today. You can access the link here:
As you will see, there are some really excellent progressions in this month’s newsletter, in particular that we will be aiming to launch a double issue of Justice, Power and Resistance next year as we move to working with Policy Press (call for papers below). Moreover, it is excellent to see that developments are being made in relation to abolitionist voices and debates, as well as key updates from colleagues addressing issues around borders and policing.
As always, thanks to all for your continued collective support, and we hope you keep safe and well as we move into October.
Take care – in solidarity
Vicky, Dani and Katja