Multidisciplinary, Social Sciences, Law, Sociology and Political Science
24
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
From Southern Africa to Southeast Asia: The Role of Vietnamese Criminal Networks in the Rhino Horn Trade Annette Hübschle Vietnamese Organized Crime in Its International Dimension the Collected Case Studies, 2026 The chapter explores the transformation of the global rhino horn economy over the past two decades, with a focus on the role of Vietnamese-organised crime overseas (VOCO) networks. South Africa, home to most of the world's rhinos, has experienced a surge in poaching driven by demand from Vietnam and China. The demand is fuelled by cultural beliefs in the medicinal and symbolic value of rhino horn. VOCO networks facilitate the movement of rhino horn from poaching sites in Southern Africa to consumers in Southeast Asia, exploiting legal loopholes, corrupt officials, and sophisticated smuggling techniques. The chapter examines historical and current trends in rhino horn use, poaching, and the complex dynamics of VOCO involvement. It highlights the necessity of a multifaceted and coordinated approach to combat the illicit trade, emphasising that VOCO networks do not operate in isolation but are part of a broader system involving various actors from the legal and illegal sphere.
Artificial intelligence harmscapes: rethinking digital governance in the age of cognitive tools Annette Hübschle, Clifford Shearing Contemporary Justice Review Issues in Criminal Social and Restorative Justice, 2026 This article introduces the concept of AI harmscapes to examine how artificial intelligence systems reproduce and amplify structural violence, exclusion, and inequality in the Global South, while revealing spaces for transformative justice responses. Drawing on critical criminology and science and technology studies, we develop a framework for understanding AI as a governance tool that enhances assemblages of control while generating new forms of social harm. Through case studies of predictive policing in Cape Town, digital identity systems in Kenya, and facial recognition in India, we analyse how AI-enhanced technologies entrench existing inequalities while being contested by affected communities and civil society organizations. We challenge criminology’s reliance on post-hoc accountability mechanisms and argue for anticipatory, community-centred governance approaches grounded in nodal and polycentric governance principles. By centring Global South experiences and resistance strategies, this analysis contributes to digital criminology while advancing transformative approaches to justice in an increasingly algorithmic world.
Variably Legal and Irregularly Regulated: Global Markets in Collectable Antiquities, Wildlife, and Fossils Annette Hübschle, Simon Mackenzie, Donna Yates Variably Legal Markets Rethinking Markets and Crime, 2026 This chapter examines global markets in collectable antiquities, wildlife, and fossils as ‘variably legal markets’ (VLMs) characterized by complex intersections of legality and illegality. These markets present public, legally sanctioned facades while simultaneously facilitating transactions that violate market-governing laws and regulations. The chapter argues that these trades are supported by sociocultural frameworks valorizing collection, creating ‘desirescapes’ where objects exert a compelling allure that can motivate illegal acquisition. We develop the concept of ‘irregularly regulated’ markets across five dimensions: jurisdictionally, temporally, socially, culturally, and discursively. This framework extends beyond conventional understandings of variable legality by demonstrating how social norms, cultural status, and strategic narratives sustain these markets despite growing regulation. The chapter explores how ‘criminogenic collectables’ operate through processes of sacral valuation, where objects transcend material properties to acquire profound personal and cultural significance that can override both economic rationality and legal constraints. By examining these markets through multiple analytical lenses, we better understand why traditional regulatory approaches often fail and how the boundaries between compliance and violation remain persistently blurred within collecting economies where objects themselves become central agents in transnational networks of desire, value, and contested illegality.
Irregularly regulated collecting markets: antiquities, fossils, and wildlife Simon Mackenzie, Donna Yates, Annette Hübschle, Diāna Bērziņa Crime Law and Social Change, 2024 This paper examines the dynamics of ‘irregularly regulated markets’, specifically those dealing with what we term ‘criminogenic collectables’: antiquities, fossils, and wildlife. Through the lens of ‘irregular regulation’ we consider how inconsistencies and loopholes in legal frameworks contribute to criminal activities in these markets. We outline five ways that such markets can be considered irregular: socially, jurisdictionally, temporally, culturally and discursively. Through this discussion, we address the subjective nature of legality in these markets, contested by cultural, economic, and political influences, and the role of market actors in manipulating perceptions. This study offers a nuanced perspective on the sociology of crime which includes consideration of the objects of crime. Here we emphasize not only the significance of market regulation and legal frameworks in shaping criminal behaviour, but also the agentic qualities of the target objects themselves. We argue that the idea of irregularity is a useful hermeneutic device for considering the grey areas and hot zones of debate that constitute the current global market for contested objects.
The need for a socioecological harm reduction approach to reduce illegal wildlife trade Annette Hübschle, Jared Margulies Conservation Biology, 2024 The burgeoning illegal trade in succulents in southern Africa presents a critical conservation and social development challenge. Drawing parallels with the trajectory of the response to rhinoceros poaching, we considered the consequences of conservation law enforcement measures, particularly the militarization of antipoaching efforts. The response to rhinoceros poaching not only resulted in so‐called green militarization, but also led to extrajudicial killings, human rights abuses, and the disproportionate targeting of low‐level poachers. The nature of wildlife trade prohibition is complex and often contested, and many actors operating in illegal wildlife trades dispute the label of illegal for socioeconomic, cultural, historical, or political reasons. This contestation is crucial when considering Indigenous cultural and medicinal values of succulents, with Indigenous Peoples and local communities questioning the criminalization of traditional plant harvesting practices. As the illegal trade in succulents continues to grow, it is imperative for conservationists to consider a nuanced approach. We call for a socioecological harm reduction approach that emphasizes community engagement, sustainable use, and codesigned interventions. Such an approach could help balance the scales of ecological conservation and human dignity in the face of growing wildlife trade challenges.
