Preliminary Programme

Wed 23 April
    8.30 - 10.30
    11.00 - 13.00
    14.00 - 16.00
    16.30 - 18.30

Thu 24 April
    8.30 - 10.30
    11.00 - 13.00
    14.00 - 16.00
    16.30 - 17.30

Fri 25 April
    8.30 - 10.30
    11.00 - 13.00
    14.00 - 16.00
    16.30 - 18.30

Sat 26 April
    8.30 - 10.30
    11.00 - 13.00
    14.00 - 16.00
    16.30 - 18.30

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Wednesday 23 April 2014 8.30 - 10.30
C-1 WOM25 cri4 Crime and Gender in Comparative Perspective 1600-1900
Hörsaal 21 raised groud floor
Networks: Criminal Justice , Women and Gender Chair: Gerald Groenewald
Organizer: Ariadne Schmidt Discussant: Mary Gibson
Jeannette Kamp : A New Perspective on Gender and Crime: the Case of Frankfurt am Main 1600-1800
High female crime rates of women in the early modern period in England and the Netherlands have inspired debates on the changes and causes of female participation in indictable crimes in the past. A key point to these discussions is the hypothesis that the share of men and women in ... (Show more)
High female crime rates of women in the early modern period in England and the Netherlands have inspired debates on the changes and causes of female participation in indictable crimes in the past. A key point to these discussions is the hypothesis that the share of men and women in recorded crime is determined by their difference in opportunities and scope of action. Based on the criminal records of Frankfurt am Main, this paper will explore the development and changes of crime rates for men and women in that city between 1600-1800. Thus far, the case of Germany has been absent in scholarly debates on male and female crime rates. Due to strong patriarchal ideas, it is believed that women in general had a lesser scope of action in early modern Germany than in England or the Netherlands. Furthermore, lower urbanization levels may have enhanced these tendencies. Therefore, the case of Germany is important to explore to see how the differences in the scope of action for men and women truly did influence their involvement in indictable crimes. (Show less)

Sanne Muurling : Crime and Gender in Bologna, 1600-1796
This paper presents the first examinations of the gendered crime patterns in Bologna (Italy) between 1600 and 1796. The research hypothesis is that gender differences in crime rates are strongly influenced by public roles attributed to men and women, and that these roles were determined by a set of ... (Show more)
This paper presents the first examinations of the gendered crime patterns in Bologna (Italy) between 1600 and 1796. The research hypothesis is that gender differences in crime rates are strongly influenced by public roles attributed to men and women, and that these roles were determined by a set of contextual factors. Since gender roles have varied over time and space, changes rather than continuity are expected. The research includes the gathering of systematic data from the criminal records held at the city archives of Bologna (l’Archivo di Stato di Bologna). During the period of examination, Bologna was part of the Papal States (1506-1796). As a consequence of the papal regime, the courts were semi-secular: ruled by a cardinal, but most judges were secular. Bologna’s court records provide detailed and abundant information about the prosecuted crime between 1600 and 1796. The main questions this paper deals with are: How did male and female recorded crime rates vary in Bologna between 1600 and 1796? How were the various types of crime committed by men and women linked to their roles in various public domains? (Show less)

Marion Pluskota : Crime, Gender and Statistics in 19th Century Western Europe
With the implementation of the code pénal in some European countries in the 19th century, a systematization of the criminal procedure occurred, which facilitates the comparison between crime rates. By using a comparative approach, factors that influence crime rates and especially gender differences in crimes (industrialization, urbanization, public role of ... (Show more)
With the implementation of the code pénal in some European countries in the 19th century, a systematization of the criminal procedure occurred, which facilitates the comparison between crime rates. By using a comparative approach, factors that influence crime rates and especially gender differences in crimes (industrialization, urbanization, public role of women…) can be more easily highlighted. This paper will present preliminary results based on the research in 19th-century judicial archives of Bologna, Amsterdam and London (Assizes and criminal courts). An emphasis will be put on cases of physical and verbal violence over the century to highlight gender differences in motivations, degree of violence and relations to the court and magistrates. In parallel, the value of statistical data will be analyzed in relation to the qualitative data found in the procès-verbaux, to draw attention to the weaknesses and strengths of comparative methodology. (Show less)

Ariadne Schmidt : Crime and Gender in Dutch Towns in the Early Modern Period
Even though women almost always accounted for a smaller proportion of indicted crime than men, the gender gap in crime rates in West Europe towns was much smaller in the early modern period and women played a much more prominent role in crime than in the 20th century (Farge ... (Show more)
Even though women almost always accounted for a smaller proportion of indicted crime than men, the gender gap in crime rates in West Europe towns was much smaller in the early modern period and women played a much more prominent role in crime than in the 20th century (Farge 1974; Beattie King 2008; Van der Heijden 1995; Feeley 1991, 1994). The high percentages of female crime in the 17th and 18th centuries have led to an academic debate about the timing and the causes of the decline in female crime rates during the 18th and 19th centuries.
However, crime rates fluctuated throughout the 17th and 18th centuries as well and varied from place to place. In some early modern Dutch towns crime rates among women could reached up to almost fifty percent, whereas elsewhere their share was much smaller. This paper will present some preliminary results of the research on crime and gender from a comparative perspective. It examines fluctuations in crime rates as well as types of crimes committed by women and men in Dutch towns and tries to explain the differences by looking at social economic structures of the localities.
(Show less)

Manon van der Heijden, Marion Pluskota : Violence and Gender in 18th and 19th C. Holland
This paper will look at the evolution of patterns of violence and gender differences in Rotterdam and Amsterdam between the 18th and 19th centuries and question the traditional assumption of a regular decline of female violence. The comparison between Rotterdam and Amsterdam gives a good insight into the legal changes ... (Show more)
This paper will look at the evolution of patterns of violence and gender differences in Rotterdam and Amsterdam between the 18th and 19th centuries and question the traditional assumption of a regular decline of female violence. The comparison between Rotterdam and Amsterdam gives a good insight into the legal changes over the two centuries and their influence over the treatment of violent crimes.

With a special emphasis on gender differences in terms of motivations, types of violence, locations and sentencing, this paper aims at giving a new insight into the relative decline of violence in Dutch cities. Violent behaviours of men and women will be reinterpreted through a comparative perspective to highlight the main factors leading to a violent behavior and its prosecution. Key-issues related to data collection and the limitations of statistical analysis will also be discussed, to emphasize the weaknesses and strengths of comparative methodology. (Show less)



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