Mendelsohn’s Archive and the Early Days of Victimology

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Abstract

The Mendelsohn archives represent an invaluable collection chronicling the emergence and development of victimology. This collection comprises original materials, including Mendelsohn's extensive correspondence, seminal articles, photographs, and personal documents, that trace the discipline's evolution over its first 30 years. They offer a window into the mind of victimology's founding father, revealing his pioneering thoughts and the challenges he faced. Our roundtable will center on Menachem Mendelsohn's archives, exploring their discovery, existing research, and prospects. Using recently acquired documents from the Jerusalem archive and additional holdings from the Max Planck Institute and the Faculty of Law in Bucharest, our discussion will focus on Mendelsohn's life, ideologies, and the early stages of victimology. Presenters will analyze these newfound materials, revealing Mendelsohn's initial theories and the historical context in which he operated. The session will outline forthcoming research plans, inviting scholars to contribute to broadening our comprehension of victimology's history and shaping its future trajectory. We will also pay tribute to Leslie Sebba's dedication to upholding Mendelsohn's legacy, notably through his role on the Scientific Commission of the International Society for Criminology in Paris. Our roundtable endeavors not only to reveal new findings but also to encourage discourse on their importance. Experts will discuss how these materials, alongside the primary findings, enrich our understanding of victimology's origins and development, potentially reframing current perspectives and uncovering previously overlooked aspects of Mendelsohn's impact on the field. Finally, we will explore possibilities to expand our research, inviting collaboration from fellow researchers to advance our project's goals.

Subtopic

• Topic 4: Victimology / Patterns and trends in Victimization (Victimology WG)

Chairs

• Beatrice Coscas Williams, Western Galilee Academic college

• Francesco Zanvetor, Hebrew University, Jerusalem

• Simha Landau, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Professor Emeritus of Criminology

Discussants

• Jan van Dijk, NSCR

• Andra Roxana Trandafir, University of Bucharest

• Josep Tamarit, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

• Stephan Parmentier, KU Leuven

• Michael Kilchling, Max Planck Institut (Freiburg)

• Polina Smiragina-Ingelström, DIS and Lund University