A conversation with Orika Komatsubara

A conversation with Orika Komatsubara[i] BP. Orika, I am so delighted to have finally met you and to have you visit us in our lovely Leuven. And I am -together with my readers- thankful to have this conversation with you. I would like to start our conversation by asking you to tell us something about your background, both cultural and professional,…

Conversations on environmental restorative justice (Part I)

Conversations on environmental restorative justice (Part I) During September-November 2022, I taught a course on environmental restorative justice at the Vermont Law and Graduate school. As a final project, I asked my students to hold a conversation with one of the scholars whose work they found inspiring or compelling during the course. Some wonderful conversations have been born as a…

Wider than the sky: The brave mind and kind heart of Gerlinda Smaus

Wider than the sky: The brave mind and kind heart of Gerlinda Smaus On the 1st of June I reached out to my friend Johannes Feest, giving him the good news that we had a publisher interested in the translation and publication of Gerlinda Smaus’ work in English. The process of finding a publisher had been a difficult, long and…

Forging epistemic encounters and friendships between Belgium and South Africa

Forging epistemic encounters and friendships between Belgium and South Africa I land in Cape Town on a Monday morning, on the 25 May, after an eventful and rescheduled flight. Despite the disruption, I am thankful it was rescheduled, especially since the brakes of my plane were not working! The travel takes place in the framework of a Multistakeholder Grant project…

A conversation with Lindsey Pointer

A conversation with Lindsey Pointer[i] BP. Lindsey, thank you for accepting to have this conversation with me. I have wanted to talk to you more at length since the first time we encountered each other, in the art and justice workshop in Tirana. You amazed me at that time, since I kept complaining about Lady Justice, her violent accessories, and…

A conversation with Federico Reggio

A conversation with Federico Reggio[i] BP: Federico, I am really happy to have this conversation with you. Perhaps the Coronavirus situation in Italy which has locked you at home in Verona now, will at least play in my favour[ii]. How does a restorative scholar go through such a complex social phenomenon? What are some of your thoughts and feelings at…

Precious encounters

Precious encounters[1] I first met Nils in 2005 in Tirana. I was working at the Albanian Foundation for Conflict Resolution, which was at the time organising an international conference on restorative justice where Nils was invited to give a plenary speech. The head of the organisation, Rasim Gjoka, was visibly excited and tried to convey to me how special this visit…

Restorative justice as a response to blood feuds: an idea whose time has come

Restorative justice as a response to blood feuds: an idea whose time has come   Talking about the phenomenon of blood feuds in Albania has never been easy. Depending on a speaker’s situatedness, the subject is likely to raise outrage, curiosity, or denial. Embodying complexity, as a Northern Albanian, as a woman, as a social scientist, and as a peace…

A conversation with Jasmyn Elise Story

A conversation with Jasmyn Elise Story[i] BP. Jasmyn, we met in the Restorative Justice and Social Innovation conference at the University of Padua, only to discover a great affinity between us, ways of thinking, being, and acting in the world. I am always enthusiastic when I encounter restorative practitioners with a background in activism. But before we talk about this intersection…

Restorative responses to environmental harm

Restorative responses to environmental harm In April 2019, the Leuven Institute of Criminology (LINC) KU Leuven KU Leuven celebrated its 90 years of existence. On that occasion, John Braithwaite, who is an honorary doctor of KU Leuven, joined LINC. With Ivo Aertsen, we took this wonderful opportunity and decided to organise an international seminar on restorative responses to environmental harm….