Intercultural Awareness in Legal language

CALL FOR PAPERS
10th International Roundtable for the Semiotics of Law
‘Intercultural Awareness in Legal Language’

Conference Venue: Public Law Department – School of Law of
Fluminense Federal University – UFF (Niterói/Rio de Janeiro – Brazil)
Dates: 11-13 November 2011
Hosted by Evandro Carvalho (Brazil)

The 2011 roundtable will focus on the contribution of legal semiotics to discuss the different ways of thinking the "legal" in a world's cultural diversity.
Aware of the III World Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations, held in Brazil in May 2010, that had the intention to rethink how to deal with tensions between cultures and promote trust and understanding between heterogeneous communities, the 10th Roundtable intend to put together scholars of legal semiotics to discuss the influences of cultural and linguistic diversity on the construction of meaning in national law and international law.

It is hoped that the papers will reflect the interdisciplinary nature of legal semiotics research as well as the challenges of working in the field. In this context, proposals from a wide variety of semiotic perspectives are invited. These might include but are not limited to papers on:
• The contribution of legal semiotics across cultures
• The problem of multilingualism
• Semiotics and comparative law
• Legal semiotics and the processes of normative integration
• Semiotics of international relations
• Semiotics and competition of languages in international relations
• Language, power and diplomacy
• Translating legal concepts across cultures: the case of contract terminology or case of land law terminology.
• The misuse of language in the judicial process, in legal adjudication
• The use of metaphors in legal language
Young researchers working in related areas are particularly encouraged to participate. In the interest of a cohesive round table, prospective participants are requested to adhere to the theme as outlined in the call for papers.

Proposals in either English, Spanish, French or Portuguese (max 300 words) should be sent only by e-mail by 15 May 2011 to irsl2011@gmail.com, evandro.carvalho@gmail.com and to Anne Wagner (valwagnerfr@yahoo.com).
Selected papers will be published in a special annual issue in English and/or French of the International Journal for the Semiotics of Law (http://www.springer.com/). The length of the paper should not normally exceed 7000 words, including references, footnotes, and appendices, if any. Please follow the style sheet for the International Journal for the Semiotics of Law (Visit the website at http://www.springer.com/law/journal/11196)

NOTICE: Workshop on Louisiana Legal History

A workshop on “Louisiana: The Legal History of Europe in a Single US State” will take place in Edinburgh on 20-21 May, 2011. The notice on the Edinburgh Legal History Blog reads: \

The programme is not finalised but currently appears as follows: George Dargo, “Louisiana in the Early American Republic”; John W. Cairns, “Planning and Printing a Code/Digest?”; John Lovett and Markus Puder, “Possession, Prescription and Uncertain Land Titles in Louisiana: 1808-1825”; Asya Ostroukh, “The Significance of Quebec Sources for Understanding the Origin and Nature of Louisiana’s Civil Law Codification”; Vernon V. Palmer, "Slavery and Louisiana Civil Law 1825-1870"; Agustín Parise, “Influence of the Louisiana Civil Code of 1825 in Latin-American Codification Movements: The References to Louisiana Provisions in the Argentine Civil Code of 1871.”

More information will be available in due course about, place, cost and so on.

This Louisianian recommends it.

NOTICE: Jackson on critical legal pluralism and the Begum case

Amy Jackson’s ‘A critical legal pluralist analysis of the Begum Case’, Osgoode CLPE Research Paper No. 46/2010, is available on SSRN here:

This paper considers the advantages of a critical legal pluralist analysis of the English case R (on the application of Begum) v. Headteacher and Governors of Denbigh High School [2007] 1 AC 100. The case concerns whether a state school’s decision to exclude a pupil (Shabina Begum) for wearing an Islamic veil (a jilbab, which is a long coat-like garment which covers the whole body except the hands and face) infringed her right to manifest her religion and her right to an education protected under Articles 9 and 2 (of the First Protocol) of the European Convention of Human Rights 1950. The various court decisions of the case determine that both Articles 9 and 2 cannot be relied upon for claims related to the accommodation of religious dress in state schools. Compared with doctrinal legal scholarship and traditional legal pluralist analyses of the case, both criticised for essentialising normative orders and communities, a critical legal pluralist analysis provides the advantage of focusing on the subjective beliefs of a legal subject. Undertaking a critical legal pluralist approach as a legal methodology, rather than more traditional legal analyses, exposes and defeats various assumptions which surround the practice of veiling.

NOTICE: Pimentel on Indigenous Justice

David Pimentel (Florida Coastal School of Law)’s ‘Legal pluralism and the rule of law: can indigenous justice survive?’, to be published in the (2010) 32 Harvard International Review 32, is available on SSRN here.

The description reads:

If non-Western, indigenous legal systems are to maintain their relevance and vitality, if they are even to have a place in the new global community, they will need to resist the pressures to simply import or impose Western law and instead adapt to minimum international norms on their own terms. Accordingly, those agencies and individuals engaged in promoting the rule of law, economic development, or respect for human rights should resist the impulse to simply impose the Western laws and legal institutions — as the U.S. Congress did to the Native American communities post-Crow Dog. Instead, reform-minded agencies and individuals should seek opportunities to engage and influence customary law and customary institutions, to encourage human rights recognition within such systems. Solutions can and must come from customary systems’ embracing human rights norms, not from initiatives to displace or ignore customary systems in favor of Western ones. With appropriate influence, including that of limited judicial enforcement of constitutional guarantees under the legal pluralism regime, customary courts and customary law can become guardians not only of traditional culture, but also of human rights and rule of law principles. And they will be all the more effective in this latter enterprise because the systems are home-grown, culturally appropriate, and embraced by the communities they serve.

The mistaken reaction to Ex parte Crow Dog, when fear and misunderstanding of cultural difference led to an imposition of federal jurisdiction over tribal communities, is a sobering case in point. Indigenous and other non-Western systems deserve more respect and deference than that, but the reform and development winds are blowing against them, particularly on what have become non-negotiable issues of human rights and rule of law. Customary law institutions will have to bend and adapt if they are to survive; but they are already equipped to do that, and Western reformers should acknowledge and appreciate that. Legal pluralism continues to offer great promise, both for the preservation of cultural values and institutions, and ultimately for the establishment of the rule of law, but only if the indigenous legal systems can be engaged in a spirit of mutual respect.

NOTICE: Workshop on ‘Law and space: unity & the multiplication of law’s places’ (6 May 2011)

A Workshop on ‘Law and space: unity & the multiplication of law’s places’ is being held on 6 May 2011.

It's being hosted by the Brookes Critical Approaches to Law Research Group of Oxford Brookes University (Oxford, UK):

This workshop brings together a number of different trajectories, disciplines and perspectives to explore the recent turn to geography and spatial theory in Law. Sherene Razack, author of Race, Space and the Law, along with a number of other leading and emerging scholars in the field, will speak on their work on critical legal geography.

To register email Sarah Keenan s.keenan@brookes.ac.uk. Registration is free and there are a limited number of bursaries to cover travel for graduate students. If you are interested in applying for a travel bursary please contact Sarah Keenan.

CALL FOR PAPERS: Intersections of Law and Culture 2011 (23-25 September 2011)

A cross-disciplinary conference will be held from 23-25 September 2011 in Lugano, Switzerland. The conference is being hosted by the Department of Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies, Franklin College, Switzerland:



Intersections of Law and Culture aims to investigate law’s place in culture and culture’s place in law. This focus proceeds from the twin premise that law, itself a cultural form, reacts to and is shaped by the cultural context in which it operates and that culture in turn is shaped by the regulative forces of law. Moreover, the operations of law—its processes and decisions—have entered the realm of popular culture, media and the arts as plot devices and narratives used in sit-coms, films and pulp fiction. These in turn have begun to change the way law operates. Together law and culture help to determine the ways in which we inhabit both our local contexts and the global stage.

The focus of this second Intersections of Law and Culture conference is on human rights. What are the philosophical, literary and cultural points of references for the management of human rights? How have current notions and framings developed historically? What are the mechanisms by which cultural narratives and popular representations of human rights find their way into legal processes? How does law in turn bleed into and influence cultural practices and conceptions of human rights? What is the relationship between international efforts and framings of human rights and their local implementations?

Clearly there are no simple, monolithic answers to these complex questions: a dialogue concerning the effects of the interplay between law and other forms of knowledge in the area of human rights can only proceed from a genuinely interdisciplinary point of departure. We welcome papers and panels from all cultural contexts and disciplinary perspectives, as well as from music and the arts. We envision the groupings of the papers not so much as distinct streams but as an interconnected matrix that acknowledges the overlap and mutual influence of modes of knowledge.

Submission of abstracts accepted until March 31, 2011. See the conference website for additional information.

REMINER: Third International Congress of the World Society of Mixed Jurisdiction Jurists

The Third International Congress of the World Society of Mixed Jurisdiction Jurists will be held 20-23 June 2011 at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.

The theme is 'Methodology and Innovation in Mixed Legal Systems':

Mixed legal systems, both the classical ‘mixed jurisdictions’ combining common law and civilian law and more exotic hybrids, are increasingly important touchstones for comparative law. The Third Congress of the World Society of Mixed Jurisdiction Jurists focuses on legal methodology and innovation in mixed systems in the twenty-first century: Investigating past experiences, exploring present practices, and predicting future possibilities

For additional information, including the (very diverse) provisional programme, see the conference website.

I hope to see many of you there.

NOTICE: (Senior) Lecturer in Law, Governance and Development (Leiden)

The position of (Senior) Lecturer in Law, Governance and Development is being advertised for Leiden Law School's Van Vollenhoven Institute (VVI):

The Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance and Development (VVI) is part of the School of Law of Leiden University. The Institute seeks to advance knowledge of the formation and functioning of legal systems in the developing world and their effectiveness in contributing to good governance and development.

In its research and teaching, VVI uses a socio-legal approach. The institute carries out research projects in Asia (notably Indonesia), Africa and increasingly in the Middle East and the Muslim world at large. VVI staff teaches several thematic and regional courses for Dutch and foreign students. In addition, VVI provides advisory services and training courses to policy makers and practitioners.

The deadline is 31 January 2011. Additional information is available here.

NOTICE: Studies in Comparative Law and Legal Culture

Professor Vernon Palmer and Edward Elgar Publishing have announced an exciting new series in comparative law: Studies in Comparative Law and Legal Culture.

The series is very much in the spirit of Juris Diversitas and monograph proposals are being sought:

Studies in Comparative Law and Legal Culture

Series Editor: Vernon Valentine Palmer, Tulane University, US

In today’s shrinking world it is important to extend our horizons and increase our knowledge of other people’s laws. This series aims to publish in-depth monographs covering various aspects of private and public law in diverse legal traditions. It additionally seeks to encourage improved techniques and methods of comparative legal research, for instance, through the increasing use of interdisciplinary studies in sociology, anthropology and economics. Individual volumes may deal with the law and culture not merely of the well-known and frequently studied countries but also with the lesser-known mixed, religious, and plural systems of the world. Regional studies are also within its purview. The focus may range from important aspects of legal history, culture, and institutions to local experience and evolving legal trends.

Please email Tara Gorvine at tgorvine@e-elgar.com to discuss a book project or for further information.

CALL FOR PAPERS: Mediterranean Topographies - Comparative and Interdisciplianry Approaches in Mediterranean Studies (8-9 April 2011)

Members, especially those involved in the Mediterranean Hybridity Project, might be interested in the following Call for Papers:

“Mediterranean Topographies: Comparative and Interdisciplinary Approaches in Mediterranean Studies”

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

8-9 April 2011

The deepest and broadest histories of interaction are those that have taken place across oceans, and one of the most important and well recorded of these has been the Mediterranean. In the modern period, the study of this region has tended to be fragmented, based on the national, ethnic, religious, linguistic, or continental affiliations which have divided these peoples over time. In recent years, however, scholarly attention has turned to examining how the connections, exchanges, and contacts made possible by the sea — through trade, travel, conquest, and the like — might in fact constitute a collective and diverse Mediterranean identity. Centered on a body of water which facilitates exchange and, in this way, unites, this conception of the Mediterranean represents an alternative model to the divided, and divisive, ones named above — a model that is transnational and cross-cultural.

This symposium stresses an interdisciplinary and comparative approach to the study of the Mediterranean as a region of interconnected histories and identities. We seek to bring together work in the humanities, arts, and social sciences, to reflect on the contacts and relations which have transcended geographic, linguistic, religious, ethnic, and national divisions, and created a Mediterranean “culture” with relevance for today’s — and tomorrow’s — world.

We invite abstracts ranging from 200-250 words that relate to or expand on the topics suggested below. We encourage submissions in all related disciplines such as Literature, Art History, History, Anthropology, Sociology, Architecture and Urbanism, Theatre, Gender and Women’s Studies, Queer Studies, African Studies, and Religious Studies. Along with your abstract please suggest the category or categories to which you feel your submission is best suited. Please provide your institutional affiliation and mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address. The abstract/proposal must indicate if a/v equipment is needed.

The symposium includes a roundtable discussion with the faculty: Andrew Shryok, Anthropology; Artemis Leontis, Modern Greek Studies; Dario Gaggio, European History; Frieda Ekotto, Comparative Literature; Kader Konuk, Comparative Literature; Karla Malette, Romance Languages and Literatures; Megan Holmes, Art History; Nadine Naber American Culture, Women Studies.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

- Comparative artistic and literary approaches to, and representations of, the Mediterranean
- Interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks: historical, anthropological, and literary studies
- Comparative thalassologies (islands, sea and oceanic studies)
- Comparative definitions of the Mediterranean
- Movement of labor, products, people, ideas
- Identity and representation in and across the sea
- Political/economic relations between the North and the South and the East and the West

Each panel will have a faculty respondent. Participants selected from outside the University of Michigan will receive a partial contribution to their travel costs.

The presentation should be in English, fifteen minutes in length (i.e., seven to eight pages double-spaced) and may address a topic from any period(s) or discipline(s). Please submit your abstract by e-mail attachment no later than Friday January 21, 2011 to the Meditopos symposium co-chairs, Amr Kamal and Maria Hadjipolycarpou at atkamal@umich.edu  hadjipol@umich.edu