An Irish Criminology? at the 8th North South Criminology Conference

The Differential Association will be presenting a workshop at the forthcoming North South Criminology Conference, held this year at University College Dublin, on 28th and 29th of June. We will be exploring the question of Irish criminology as laid out in our abstract below.

The Differential Association presents: An Irish Criminology?

For how much longer can we classify criminology as the ‘absentee’ discipline of Ireland, and what exactly needs to happen before we can officially announce its presence?  The state of criminology within Ireland has been much lamented by academics, its slow development and patchwork nature have been unfavourably compared to the position of the discipline internationally, notably in those countries where it is established to a high degree.  Are these comparisons justified?  Does proximity and shared history with the United Kingdom, for example, give Irish practitioners and academics unrealistic expectations of exactly how advanced our consolidation of the field should be?  Are we downplaying the significant gains made in Ireland and are we, in fact, in the process of developing something intrinsically Irish?  The Differential Association, a network of academics and practitioners, have spent the last year delving into criminological writings, discussing emerging theories and classic texts, always with an eye towards gaining a greater understanding of our own national criminological identity.  Join us for a discussion which will touch on the question of whether we are a nation characterised by apathy, would a more assertive political will to change have led the charge on criminology research or should our academic research culture be lighting the way forward.  In response to recent questions on the nature of public criminology, we will be asking how academics can influence and contribute to evidence-led policy in a culture that appears resistant.

The workshop is provisionally scheduled for 10.30-12.00 on 29th June. Due to the informal and dynamic nature of the workshop we will be restricting numbers to facilitate better discussion! We hope to see you there!