17—18 May & 24—25 May, 2022 (Online)
This international and online event series will explore entangled histories of crime and imperialism through the lens of genealogy. Genealogy traces lines of descent and evolution over time. At a moment of global awakening to racial injustice, we contend that tackling ongoing crises in racist policing and mass imprisonment require sustained, critical engagement with the legacies of imperialism and criminalisation.
The conference and workshop series will take place online over four half-days, on Tuesday and Wednesday of consecutive weeks. This is to accommodate time differences and enable us to bring together scholars from the Global North and Global South.
The conference is open to all and there will be no conference fees.
We are delighted that Professor Clare Anderson (University of Leicester) and Professor Barry Godfrey (University of Liverpool) will be giving keynote addresses.
Week One | Conference
17—18 May
The convenors invite scholars of all career stages to present 10-minute papers that explore legacy, inheritance, connectivity and rupture in crime across empire from a range of disciplinary perspectives (history, criminology, law, literature, geography, art etc.). These short papers will lead into roundtable discussions facilitated by established academics.
We welcome abstracts on a range of topics, including (but not limited to):
• How crime was conceptualised, legislated and represented in different contexts
• How race, gender, class and colonialism affected understandings of crime
• How perspectives from (former) colonies, non-British empires, or BIPOC offenders challenge mainstream narratives of criminality
• How neo-colonial legacies shape state institutions and public perceptions today.
To participate, please submit a 200-word abstract, 100-word biography and your time-zone to: imperialgenealogiesofcrime@gmail.com by 1 December 2021.
Week Two | Workshops
24—25 May
The second week will feature workshops led by academics and practitioners on novel approaches to imperial crime—from life-course history to longitudinal analysis, collaging to podcasting. These workshops will offer PGRs and ECRs the opportunity to explore new methodologies and network with established academics and leading history professionals.
To register your interest, please email a 150-word overview of your research, a brief biography (50 words) and your time zone to imperialgenealogiesofcrime@gmail.com by 1 December 2021.
Imperial Genealogies of Crime is convened by Dr Meg Foster, Newnham College, University of Cambridge and Dr Katy Roscoe, International Criminological Research Unit, University of Liverpool and is generously hosted by their institutions.
For further details or to subscribe for updates, please visit www.imperialgenealogiescrime.com
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