Univ. of Helsinki and Lithuanian Institute of History (Web)

Time: 15.-16.12.2025
Venue: The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, Vilnius
Proposals by: 15.06.2025

This conference aims to examine the historical dimensions of family violence within imperial contexts. By exploring legal practices, social perceptions, and criminological approaches across different empires, the conference seeks to analyze how state policies, legal transformations, and cultural norms shaped responses to violence in the family. Bringing together scholars from diverse disciplines, the event fosters a comparative discussion on the intersection of law, crime, history, and family dynamics in imperial settings. We invite scholars and practitioners to submit original paper proposals. Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Legal definitions and regulations of family violence in imperial systems
• The role of courts, law enforcement, and state institutions in addressing domestic violence
• The impact of legal reforms on the prosecution and adjudication of family violence
• Imperial legal frameworks and their relationship with gender, family authority, and social hierarchy
• Social perceptions and responses to family violence among state authorities, religious institutions, and communities
• Legal and extralegal punishments for domestic crimes and their evolution over time
• Judicial and societal treatment of intimate partner homicide, child abuse, and other forms of family violence
• The influence of class, ethnicity, religion, and geography on legal and social responses to family violence
• Family violence in colonial and peripheral regions versus imperial centers
• Women’s and marginalized groups‘ strategies for resisting, reporting, and legally challenging domestic violence
• Comparative perspectives on family violence across different empires, including Russian, Ottoman, British, and Soviet contexts
• The adaptation and exchange of legal and social measures in regulating family violence between imperial authorities
• The role of patriarchal norms and power structures in shaping family violence and state responses
• The impact of modernization, nationalism, socialism, and colonial rule on attitudes and policies toward family violence
• Archival, judicial, and media representations of family violence and their reflections on broader social transformations

The conference will be held in person in Vilnius, Lithuania. The working language of the event is English. There is no participation or registration fee. A limited number of bursaries to cover conference costs for young scholars without funding or scholars coming from low-income countries will be available.

Submission Guidelines: Please submit a 300–500 words original abstract along with a short academic biography via the link here (Web)

Submission deadline: June 15, 2025

Notification of acceptance: July 15, 2025

For any inquiries, please contact: feverhelsinki@gmail.com

All submitted abstracts will be reviewed by the Conference Organizing Committee to determine the final list of speakers. Accepted participants are expected to participate in the post-Conference publication (the format to be determined based on the abstracts submitted). Speakers will be required to submit a longer version of their presentation (3,000-5,000 words) before the conference by December 1, 2025.

Partners: The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, University College Dublin, NGO Ribologija, The Family, Women and Children History Researchers Network,The National Archives of Latvia, and The Lithuanian Association of Criminologists.

Organizing Committee: Chair: Dr. Sigita Černevičiūtė, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Helsinki, Till Death Do Us Part: Four Epochs of Violence in Every Family in Russia – What Makes it Russian? (FEVER)

Members:
Marianna Muravyeva, Principal Investigator, University of Helsinki, Till Death Do Us Part: Four Epochs of Violence in Every Family in Russia – What Makes it Russian? (FEVER)
Andrea Griffante, Lithuanian Institute of History
Alexander Kondakov, University College Dublin
Ineta Lipša, National Archives of Latvia
Ignė Rasickaitė, Statehood Center, National Library of Lithuania
Monika Rogers, Lithuanian Institute of History
Vitalija Stravinskienė Lithuanian Institute of History

This international conference is organized as part of the project Till Death Do Us Part: Four Epochs of Violence in Every Family in Russia – What Makes it Russian? (FEVER), funded by the Research Council of Finland.

Contact: feverhelsinki@gmail.com

Source: HSozKult