Gesellschaft

Law is often seen as a harbinger of morality and justice, or, alternatively, as a set of neutral rules that govern society. The aim of this lecture is to question the idea of law as either justice or as abstract doctrine. Drawing on comparative perspectives from Britain, the Commonwealth, and beyond, it introduces case studies that look at the difference between ‘law in action’ and ‘law in books’. Topics covered may include the relationship between law and colonialism; violence and the law; and the ethnocentric roots of human rights. The lectures will also turn to the question of the punitive turn witnessed across liberal democracies, including on the rise of ‘law and order’, authoritarian populism and anti-immigrant policies in Britain and beyond.


Mittwoch, 18.15 bis 19.45 Uhr, Universität St.Gallen, Raum A 09-011
1.3., 8.3. und 15.3.2023