CALL FOR PAPERS – NARRATIVES IN THE CRIMINAL PROCESS

CALL FOR PAPERS – NARRATIVES IN THE CRIMINAL PROCESS

Dear colleague,

The international conference «Narratives in the Criminal Process» will be held in Bergen, Norway on 30 November – 1 December 2018. The conference is organized by the research project «A Narratology of Criminal Cases», situated at the University of Bergen and funded by the Norwegian Research Council’s SAMKUL program.

The theme of the conference will be narratives in criminal law and the criminal process. The theme is inspired by Peter Brooks’ claim that «law needs a narratology» and the realization that narratives are still a theoretically underdeveloped aspect of legal processes. Central questions are: What kinds of narratives are operative in the criminal process? What is the significance of narratives in the legal process? What kinds of narratives are most effective in the court room? How do narratives influence the decision making process of judges and jurors? What characterizes the court’s own narratives in judgements and judicial opinions? How do narratives shape press reports about criminal cases?

We welcome contributions on narrative aspects of the criminal process in all its stages: from the police investigation to the final judgement. The subject may be approached from a variety of perspectives, including that of law, literary and cultural studies, linguistics, psychology, criminology, anthropology, feminist studies or other approaches.  

Key note speakers are Jeanne Gaakeer (Rotterdam) and Matías Martínez (Wuppertal).

All papers should be planned for a maximum of 20 minutes in presentation length. Abstracts should be no more than 300 words long and include a brief 1-page CV. The deadline for submitting abstracts is 1 June 2018.

In connection with the conference we will organize a public debate at Litteraturhuset i Bergen (House of Literature in Bergen) on 29 November at 7 pm where a panel of invited speakers will discuss the significance of narratives for criminal law.

Your abstract should include the following information at the top of the page:

• Name
• Institutional Affiliation, if any
• Audio-visual requirements, if any

Please submit your abstract with the subject line «Narratives in the Criminal Process 2018» to: frode.pedersen@uib.no

More information about our project is available on our website: https://www.uib.no/en/project/narratology

Please do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions or concerns:

frode.pedersen@uib.no or espen.ingebrigtsen@uib.no  

All the best,

Frode Helmich Pedersen

Project Leader