CONFERENCE DESCRIPTION
Beyond the City: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Crime, Justice, Security and Society in Rural Contexts is an international academic conference dedicated to the study of crime, victimisation, justice and security in rural and peripheral settings.
The conference will take place on 14-15 September 2026 at the Faculty of Law, University of Białystok, Mickiewicza 1, Białystok, Poland.
Rural criminology is one of the most dynamic and rapidly developing fields within contemporary criminology and social sciences. It challenges urban-centred perspectives by focusing on the specific social, cultural, economic and spatial conditions that shape life beyond cities. Rural and peripheral areas are characterised by distinct patterns of social relations, access to institutions, informal mechanisms of control and particular vulnerabilities, which require dedicated analytical and methodological approaches.
This conference is pioneering in the Polish context. For the first time, it offers a systematic, interdisciplinary and international forum for discussing rural crime and safety, bringing together perspectives from criminology, law, sociology, geography, anthropology, environmental studies and rural research. It aims to advance theoretical and empirical knowledge while strengthening dialogue between academic research and professional practice.
The conference focuses on the intersections between crime, justice, security and broader social transformations affecting rural communities, including demographic change, migration, marginalisation, environmental risks and access to public institutions. Particular attention is given to the role of local support systems, non-governmental organisations and public services operating in rural and peripheral contexts.
The event will bring together researchers and practitioners from Europe, the United States and other regions, fostering international exchange, comparative perspectives and collaborative initiatives. Contributions presenting innovative theoretical frameworks, methodological approaches and policy-relevant findings are especially welcome.
THEMATIC SCOPE
We invite researchers and practitioners to contribute papers and presentations addressing, among others, the following issues:
- crime, safety and policing in rural communities,
- law, justice and access to legal protection in non-urban areas,
- domestic and gender-based violence and uport for victims,
- social exclusion, marginalisation and access to public and social services,
- cooperation between police, social services, NGOs and local institutions,
- organised crime and illegal markets in peripheral and border regions,
- environmental crime, green criminology and environmental justice,
- environmental security, crises and resilience of rural communities,
- social structure, change and everyday challenges of rural life,
- new theoretical, methodological and practice-oriented approaches in rural criminology.
The conference particularly welcomes contributions from practitioners working directly with rural communities, including legal professionals, law enforcement officers, social workers, NGO representatives and local public institutions.
The conference is funded by the Minister of Science under the “Regional Initiative of Excellence” programme.
