The Emergence of a Pacific Criminology
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Victoria University of Wellington/Te Herenga Waka
New Zealand -
The Australian National University Australia
Abstract
Guest editors Moses Faleolo (Victoria University of Wellington/Te Herenga Waka, Aotearoa New Zealand) and Miranda Forsyth (The Australian National University, Australia) have curated a set of articles from the inaugural symposium on Pacific Criminology and this special issue is the first collection to emerge under the banner of Pacific criminology.
Pacific criminology is an alternative way of criminological theorisation that simultaneously draws upon other criminological epistemologies but is also transcendentally distinctive and unique. The issue comprises nine articles and contributors include both Pacific Islanders and scholars from other regions: Samoa, Fiji, Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia. An Epilogue from Tuivalu Lauganiu and Tamasailau-Suaali'i-Sauni includes a wonderful poem - and the guest editors remind us that:
It is exciting to be part of a Pacific criminology movement and its potentiality can do many things like the radical rethinking of the criminal justice system and the cultivation of intergenerational, interdisciplinary, intercultural, inter-legal and intersectional conversations
Except where otherwise noted, content in this journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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Author Biographies
A registered Social Worker, Samoan criminologist, and Gang researcher based in the Institute of Criminology, School of Social and Cultural Studies, Victoria University of Wellington. His PhD entitled, "Hard-Hard-Solid! Life histories of Samoans in Bloods Youth Gangs in New Zealand", is the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere. He leads a small team charged with the responsibility of developing a new theory called, Pacific criminology, which has led to launching the world's first Pacific criminology symposium in 2023, co-convenes the Australia New Zealand Society of Criminology Pacific Criminology Thematic Group, the recipient of the 2023 Indigenous Justice Award, and co-chief editor behind this world's first 2024 Pacific Criminology Special Issue International Journal of Crime, Justice, and Social Democracy.
Miranda Forsyth is a Professor in the School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet) in the College of Asia and Pacific at ANU. Miranda’s scholarship focuses on how people’s diverse justice needs can best be met, drawing upon multiple legal and normative orders. Her geographical focus has been primarily in the Pacific Islands region, particularly Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. She holds an ARC Future Fellowship on Overcoming Violence and Building Peace in Conditions of Complexity in Papua New Guinea. She is the co-convenor of the Pacific Criminology Collective.