Criminology in Europe

The analysis of the past and present history of science can be accomplished in two manners: a simplistic style or a critical and complex style. The first stores dates and authors across time, without any method of analysis. The second traces the history of science using conceptual and methodological frameworks. We have had these strategies and tools available for over a century in the disciplines of philosophy of science and epistemology, and these constitute the repository to which we should appeal when engaging with the history of science using complex methods. Which are the big questions posed by philosophy of science and epistemology? In short, they ask what science is and how it is done. Two scholarly traditions provide answers to these questions: the French historicist tradition (e.g., Bachelard) and the Anglo-Saxon logicist tradition (e.g., Popper and Khun). The philosopher of the 20th century Michel Foucault occupies space apart from these: in the 1960s, he set up a new approach to the analysis of knowledge, science and practices.

Nils Christie passed away at the age of 87. He died on 27 May of this year, following a traffic accident. The surgeons did everything to save his life. They didn't manage.

The quality of teaching in criminology is very important for the development of the discipline. In addition to teaching criminology in undergraduate programmes, we discussed teaching and research topics in doctoral programmes in several European countries both at the last conference in Prague and in correspondence between the WG members. This year’s challenge is a discussion on doctoral programmes in criminology in Europe.

This working group was formed in 2007 and exists to encourage networking, foster discussion, stimulate empirical research, enable theoretical development and encourage critical and comparative work on community sanctions and measures in European jurisdictions.