Hønefoss: Research seminar; green criminology and anthology on speciesism

I am on my way back from Hønefoss, not too far from Oslo, where I have spent 2-3 days at the 52nd research seminar of the Nordic Council for Criminology. Really nice. I am surprised how many common interests there were.

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My paper "The legality and ethical legitimacy of wolf hunting in Scandinavia" was presented yesterday at 11.30-12 in a group session, with an audience of 20-25 people (almost half of all attendents). It was well received - though the paper presented before and after sparked more debate, due to their defense, vs. critique, of 'green criminology'/'eco-global criminology' as such.

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Encountering green criminology for the first time, it strikes med how similar it is to other fields of 'green' this or that. It is really interesting to recognize ethical stands, rhetorical figures etc (here: 'crime' - if not 'justice' - applied in a metaphorical sense) that I am already well familiar with. From a critical point of view, I see there are statements made in green criminology that are based more in political stands than in academic analysis. Solid norms for such analysis, and for how crossdisciplinary findings can be integrated, would be of great value.

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All papers presented at the research seminar - mine included - will be published in form of an online report at some point following submittance in mid-June.

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I have made several contacts - among them criminologists Ragnhild Sollund (editor of Global harms: Ecological crime and speciesism) and Guri Larsen. Stepping out of the bus taking us back to Oslo, we agreed that the three of us will co-edit a Norwegian language anthology on speciesism and related issues.

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Oh! I should also mention that yesterday, during the festive, 4-hour dinner, the three of us took part in a remake of Little Red Riding Hood - with me figuring as the wolf, Guri as the grandmother ("Eat me, I'm a green criminologist" Eat me, eat me, please!") and Ragnhild as Little Red Riding Hood ("Are you still hungry? Would you like to eat some more people? There's a kindergarten down the street, and a senior home in the neighbourhood...").