CfP: 'Violence: Legal Meets Social and Political' (Helsinki, June 4-5, 2009)

Seminar: Thu-Fri, June 4-5, 2009 Helsinki
Violence Researchers-Network brings together scholars of various fields interested in gender and violence at the fourth annual conference.
The purpose of the conference in 2009 is to analyze the differences in ways to understand and conceptualize violence in legal texts and political discourses, in social and everyday practices, as well as at the interfaces of their rendezvous.

Seminar: Thu-Fri, June 4-5, 2009 Helsinki
Violence Researchers-Network brings together scholars of various fields interested in gender and violence at the fourth annual conference.
The purpose of the conference in 2009 is to analyze the differences in ways to understand and conceptualize violence in legal texts and political discourses, in social and everyday practices, as well as at the interfaces of their rendezvous.
The idea is to overcome distinct approaches to encounter violence and talk about it. Typically, the policies concerning victims and perpetrators of violence have their own implicit concepts of victims and perpetrators.
School shootings and unexpected acts of violence committed by young men have in particular raised questions on the interrelationship between violence and masculinity. On the other hand, the victim of violence faces often contradictory expectations, some demanding her to claim her rights actively and assertively while others expect her to be passive and helpless to reclaim the victim position.
The aims of the seminar are
- to bring together researchers from different fields and thus deepen their understanding on how violence is constructed in the discourses of different fields
- to report research results and analyses that can help diverse professionals to comprehend each others ways to handle and conceptualize violence
- to promote researchers interdisciplinary networking
- to integrate NGOs and authorities working at grass root level to discussions
Working group presentations are welcome for instance regarding following topics:
- Interrelationships between young mens violent behavior and masculinity
- Gendered and sexualized nature of violence
- What does increasing multiculturalism mean from the point of view of victim and criminal policies
- How trafficking in human beings is confronted in authorities and beneficent organizations practices and how trafficking is conceptualized in legal procedures
- Margins of victimization; domestic and sexual violence against women committed by women; other sexualized situations of violence; young girls as objects of violence and control; the elderly as victims of violence sexless old age?
Key note speakers: Sandra Walklate, Eleanor Rathbone Chair of Sociology, University of Liverpool: 'Gender in the tradition and practices of research on violence'
Monica Burman, JD, Lecturer in Law, Umeå University: 'Womens peace crime in Sweden'
Tarja Pösö, Professor of Social Work, University of Tampere: 'Moral reasoning in violence issues'
Call for papers and enrolment: Papers for working groups shall be notified by February 27th, 2009 via email to Riikka.Kotanen@helsinki.fi. Message must include information on the sender and an abstract that does not exceed 200 words. Papers can be in English as well as in Finnish. Receiving of an email will be confirmed immediately but the acceptance of a paper will be informed by March 13th, at the latest. Enrolment procedures will be informed later.
The seminar is free of charge.