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Drawing on a range of approaches from the social sciences and humanities, this handbook explores theoretical and empirical perspectives that address the articulation of law in society, and the social character of the rule of law.
The vast field of socio-legal studies provides multiple lenses through which law can be considered. Rather than seeking to define the field of socio-legal studies, this book takes up the experiences of researchers within the field. First-hand accounts of socio-legal research projects allow the reader to engage with diverse theoretical and methodological approaches within this fluid interdisciplinary area. The book provides a rich resource for those interested in deepening their understanding of the variety of theories and methods available when law is studied in its broadest social context, as well as setting those within the history of the socio-legal movement. The chapters consider multiple disciplinary lenses - including feminism, anthropology and sociology - as well as a variety of methodologies, including: narrative, visual and spatial, psychological, economic and epidemiological approaches. Moreover, these are applied in a range of substantive contexts such as online hate speech, environmental law, biotechnology, research in post-conflict situations, race and LGBT+ lawyers.
The handbook brings together younger contributors and some of the best-known names in the socio-legal field. It offers a fresh perspective on the past, present and future of sociolegal studies that will appeal to students and scholars with relevant interests in a range of subjects, including law, sociology and politics.
List of contents
Approaching socio-legal studies Chapter 1 Socio-Legal Theory and Methods: Introduction Chapter 2 Traditions of Studying the Social and the Legal: Building Interdisciplinary Bridges Chapter 3 Uses and Abuses of Socio-Legal Methods Chapter 4 The why and how to of conducting a socio-legal research project Chapter 5 Writing Beyond Distinctions Chapter 6 Doing Critical Socio-Legal Studies Chapter 7 Indefensible and irresponsible: Interdisciplinarity, truth and #reviewer2 Chapter 8 Ethical Awareness and Socio-legal Research in the UK Chapter 9 On objectivity and staying 'native': Researching LGBTQI+ lawyers as a queer lawyer Chapter 10 Impact, policy and public engagement Disciplinary and theoretical relationships Chapter 11 Law and sociology Chapter 12 Social psychology and law Chapter 13 A socio-legal approach to law and economics Chapter 14 Law and Anthropology Chapter 15 Doing Law in/and Development: Theoretical, Methodological and Ethical Reflections Chapter 16 Qualitative Data and the Challenges of Interpretation in Transitional Justice Research Chapter 17 Reading law spatially Chapter 18 Legal Concepts in Flux: The Social Construction of Legal Meaning Chapter 19 Feminist Approaches to Socio-Legal Studies Chapter 20 Intersectionality as Theory and Method: Human Rights' Policy and Adjudication, Methodological choices Chapter 21 Encountering the Archive: Researching Race, Racialisation and the Death Penalty in England and Wales, 1900-65 Chapter 22 Law, the Environment and Narrative Storytelling Chapter 23 Legal Aesthetics as Visual Method Chapter 24 A Content Analysis of Judicial Decision-Making Chapter 25 Intellectual Property, Biotechnology and Process Tracing: Applying Political Research Methods to Legal Study Chapter 26 Experiments in Criminal Justice Contexts Chapter 27 Legal epidemiology, evidence-informed law and administrative data: new frontiers in the study of family justice Chapter 28 Online hate speech
About the author
Naomi Creutzfeldt and Marc Mason are based in the law school at the University of Westminster; Kirsten McConnachie is based in the law school at the University of East Anglia
Summary
Drawing on a range of approaches from the social sciences and humanities, this handbook explores theoretical and empirical perspectives that address the articulation of law in society, and the social character of the rule of law.
