Call for Applications: Central and Eastern European Symposium on Critical Criminology

The Faculty of Social Studies, the University of Ostrava will host the inaugural Central and Eastern European Symposium on Critical Criminology on 17–19 August 2026. This event aims to bring together critical criminologists working in or on the Central and Eastern European region to discuss the position of critical criminological research in their countries, exchange research findings and experiences, and explore the potential for joint research projects. The deadline for applications to participate is 22 June 2026.

The production of criminological knowledge is permeated by numerous epistemic and power asymmetries. As in many other social sciences, criminological research is concentrated predominantly in Anglophone countries, which has a profound effect on the debates we conduct in journal pages, conference panels, and in less formal settings. The existence of international debate depends on the intellectual efforts of criminologists from other regions. The corollary is often a paradoxical situation in which these scholars may be better acquainted with conditions in Chicago or London than with those in the countries bordering their own.

Central and Eastern Europe occupies a peculiar position within global criminology. As Laura Piacentini and Gavin Slade (2024) have recently highlighted through the concept of the Global East, this region does not fit neatly into the criminological discourse of the Global North and South. The experience of actually existing socialism and neoliberal transformation makes these countries a distinctive case, characterized by a geopolitical relation of in-betweenness that unsettles the quasi-natural status of the North/South binary. Yet however valuable this critique may be strategically, foregrounding the East as a corrective to West-centric criminology can itself bring new omissions and counter-productive divisions.

Take Central Europe. Reproducing the Cold War worldview does not do justice to the previous centuries of entangled living. The era of the Austro-Hungarian Empire can hardly be idealized. Yet it would be a mistake to overlook the commonalities that persist among the societies of the successor states – including criminological ones. Although much of this shared criminological history may have been forgotten, the common challenges facing Central European societies – from both sides of the former Iron Curtain – today present an opportunity for cultivating a shared research agenda.

We are convinced that this agenda must be critical. Despite Viktor Orbán’s defeat in the recent Hungarian elections, many countries in Central and Eastern Europe continue to grapple with rising authoritarianism, which constitutes both the crucial context of our inquiry and its very subject matter. In this situation, ignoring the crimes of the powerful and the power asymmetries that enable them is simply not an option. In light of Trump’s attacks on university autonomy, which the local Trumpists would like to replicate, the stakes are clear: criminology will either be critical or it may soon be nothing.

About the Symposium

In order to foster the development of a distinctly Central and Eastern European critical criminology, the symposium will be held on 17–19 August 2026 in Ostrava, Czechia. The event will provide a space for discussion and mutual learning among critical criminologists who are either from Central and Eastern Europe or whose research focuses on the region. The symposium is not meant to be yet another scholarly conference, however regionally focused, but a genuine gathering for a deep and lively exchange. There will be no fifteen-minute papers delivered in parallel sessions. Everything will take place in plenary, with all participants present throughout and able to engage. For this reason, the number of participants will be capped at 35.

The programme is planned as follows:

The first day will be dedicated to presentations introducing critical criminology in the participants’ countries and subsequent discussion. We would like to hear about the history of this approach to the study of crime and its control in each country, the institutions and people through whom it is being developed, and what their research looks like. Where multiple participants represent the same country, they will be asked to prepare and present jointly. The exact number of presentations and their length will be determined once participants have registered.

The second day will be devoted to moderated discussion panels on topics drawn from participants' own research. During registration, each participant will be asked to indicate several topics on which they can contribute. The panels and their composition will be determined on this basis. Each panel will be followed by an open discussion. In the afternoon, participants will be taken on a guided tour of the city or a similar activity.

The third day will be given over to workshops exploring potential research collaborations. Working in small groups formed on the basis of the discussions of the previous days, participants will be invited to identify shared research interests and sketch out possible research projects.

Applications and Practical Information

The symposium is open to all who identify with the project of critical criminology. Participants need not be from Central and Eastern Europe, but their research should engage with the region. The working language of the symposium is English. Those wishing to participate are invited to submit a letter of no more than one A4 page outlining why they wish to attend and what research topics they would like to contribute in the context of the region. Applications should be sent to  by 22 June 2026. Applicants will be notified of the outcome within one week.

Accepted participants will be asked to complete an online registration form by 8 July 2026. Upon completion, they will receive a confirmation along with further details on the programme and other practical information, including directions to the faculty and accommodation options.

There is no registration fee. We will cover the costs of on-site organisation, including refreshments and the accompanying programme on the second day. Unfortunately, we are not able to cover travel or accommodation expenses. A certificate of active participation at the symposium will be issued to every participant.

The symposium is supported by the Refresh – Research Excellence For REgion Sustainability and High-tech Industries project. The symposium contributes to building European research infrastructure and to the participation of researchers in international projects.

For more information, feel free to contact Václav Walach from the organizing team ().

Organizers:

Mgr. Václav Walach, Ph.D.
Mgr. JUDr. Tereza Dleštíková, Ph.D.
Jarda Michl
Mgr. Michaela Vontorová

References

Piacentini, L., & Slade, G. (2024). East is East? Beyond the Global North and Global South in Criminology. The British Journal of Criminology, 64(3), 521–537. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azad048

REFRESH Project – Research Excellence For REgion Sustainability and High-tech Industries, No. CZ.10.03.01/00/22_003/0000048 is co-financed by the European Union from the Operational Programme Just Transition.

Updated: 21. 05. 2026