In these vibrant narratives, 25 of the world’s most accomplished movement lawyers and activists become storytellers, reflecting on their experiences at the frontlines of some of the most significant struggles of our time. In an era where human rights are under threat, their words offer both an inspiration and a compass for the way movements can use the law – and must sometimes break it – to bring about social justice.

The contributors here take you into their worlds: Jennifer Robinson frantically orchestrating a protest outside London’s Ecuadorean embassy to prevent the authorities from arresting her client Julian Assange; Justin Hansford at the barricades during the protests over the murder of Black teenager Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; Ghida Frangieh in Lebanon’s detention centres trying to access arrested protestors during the 2019 revolution; Pavel Chikov defending Pussy Riot and other abused prisoners in Russia; Ayisha Siddiqa, a shy Pakistani immigrant, discovering community in her new home while leading the 2019 youth climate strike in Manhattan; Greenpeace activist Kumi Naidoo on a rubber dinghy in stormy Arctic seas contemplating his mortality as he races to occupy an oil rig.

The stories in The Revolution Will Not Be Litigated capture the complex, and often-awkward dance between legal reform and social change. They are more than compelling portraits of fascinating lives and work, they are revelatory: of generational transitions; of epochal change and apocalyptic anxiety; of the ethical dilemmas that define our age; and of how one can make a positive impact when the odds are stacked against you in a harsh world of climate crisis and ruthless globalization.

In Rule Of Law, Glynnis Breytenbach reflects back on her career as a prosecutor, including specific cases she has tried, and on her life to provide a fascinating commentary on the importance of the independence of judicial institutions and the precariousness of this independence.

Her current challenges are directly linked to how outspoken she is and how she continues to campaign fiercely for the rule of law in this country.

Throughout the past 50 years, the courts have been a battleground for contesting political forces as more and more conflicts that were once fought in Parliament or in streets, or through strikes and media campaigns, find their way to the judiciary.

Certainly, the legal system was used by both the apartheid state and its opponents. But it is in the post-apartheid era, and in particular under the rule of President Jacob Zuma, that we have witnessed a dramatic increase in ‘lawfare’: the migration of politics to the courts.

The authors show through a series of case studies how just about every aspect of political life ends up in court: the arms deal, the demise of the Scorpions, the Cabinet reshuffle, the expulsion of the EFF from Parliament, the nuclear procurement process, the Cape Town mayor…

Sydney Kentridge carved out a reputation as South Africa’s most prominent anti-apartheid advocate – his story is entwined with the country’s emergence from racial injustice and oppression. He is the only advocate to have acted for three winners of the Nobel Peace Prize – Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Chief Albert Lutuli.

Already world-famous for his landmark cases including the Treason Trial of Nelson Mandela and the other leading members of the ANC, the inquiry into the Sharpeville massacre, and the inquest into the death of Steve Biko, he then became England’s premier advocate.

Through the great set-pieces of the legal struggle against apartheid – cases which made the headlines not just in South Africa, but across the world – this biography is a portrait of enduring moral stature.

In recent decades, the issue of gender-based violence has become heavily politicized in India. Yet, Indian law enforcement personnel continue to be biased against women and overburdened. In Capable Women, Incapable States, Poulami Roychowdhury asks how women claim rights within these conditions. Through long term ethnography, she provides an in-depth lens on rights negotiations in the world's largest democracy, detailing their social and political effects. Roychowdhury finds that women interact with the law not by following legal procedure or abiding by the rules, but by deploying collective threats and doing the work of the state themselves. And they behave this way because law enforcement personnel do not protect women from harm but do allow women to take the law into their own hands.These negotiations do not enhance legal enforcement. Instead, they create a space where capable women can extract concessions outside the law, all while shouldering a new burden of labor and risk. A unique theory of gender inequality and governance, Capable Women, Incapable States forces us to rethink the effects of rights activism across large parts of the world where political mobilization confronts negligent criminal justice systems.

Realising the Right to Basic Education examines the crucial roles of civil society and the courts in developing the right to education in South Africa amid substantial and persistent inequalities in education provisioning. Unlike other socio-economic rights in the Constitution, the right to basic education is framed as an unqualified right - it is not subject to qualifiers such as 'progressive realisation' and 'within the state's available resources'. Yet, two and a half decades into South Africa's constitutional democracy, the apartheid legacy of unequal education still lingers. Poor, predominantly black learners continue to attend historically disadvantaged schools that are often severely under-resourced, producing poor learner outcomes. This has given rise to a wave of civil society activism since around 2008 - and organisations have been utilising legal mobilisation as a key tool to effect change in historically disadvantaged schools. The litigation initiated by these organisations has contributed to a rich and evolving jurisprudence on the right to basic education as a substantive right. However, in a significant number of these cases, the relevant education departments have not complied with court orders, requiring litigants to seek increasingly innovative, experimentalist and even coercive remedies to ensure that judgments are implemented. Realising the Right to Basic Education presents an overview of these education-provisioning cases and the roles played by civil society and the courts. It analyses the contribution of these two role-players in the normative development of the right to basic education. The book also aims to identify a viable framework for interpreting the right to basic education - one that can guide South Africa towards adequate education provisioning and, ultimately, facilitate transformation of basic education in South Africa's historically disadvantaged schools.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. This Advanced Introduction sets out the difficulty of defining religion itself and the subsequent impact this has on creating laws which regulate and protect it. Taking a global comparative approach, Frank S. Ravitch guides the reader in how this unique interaction plays out in differing legal systems including in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Providing further context by contrasting specific case studies, the book provides a rounded and coherent exploration of the complexities of law in relation to religion. Key Features: Addresses the many issues surrounding religious exceptions to general laws Considers the extent of separation between government and religion, and the role of courts in deciding religious questions Looks at the ways in which law may govern discrimination by government or by private entities, based on religion or religious concerns Explores the multifaceted interactions between religion and law in many areas, including human rights; public schooling; health and property; tax exemptions; and clergy abuse This foundational book offers a platform for researchers and students in the fields of law, political science, ethics, and religious studies. It also provides valuable insight for lawyers, judges and legislators with a focus on law and religion. .

This thoroughly engaging book uses empirical analysis to illustrate that the response of individuals to global terror events, via social media, provokes an opportunity to interpret the ways in which individuals view their place in the world and their relation to law and justice. It is through analysing these responses that Cassandra Sharp demonstrates that a 'hashtag jurisprudence' can be constructed. Sharp offers a theory of law that combines narratives, the experience of terror and the expression of emotion through social media engagement. Using thought-provoking case studies of terrorist attacks between 2014 and 2018 from around the world, the book examines how social media has quickly become the new forum for members of the public to express their opinions on current law and justice. It further demonstrates the significant impact that comments on social media platforms can have on social justice issues and activism. This timely book will be required reading for academics in law, social sciences and humanities. Scholars with an interest in legal theory, philosophy, and law and emotion will find the case study findings insightful and informative.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. Sabino Cassese presents an incisive introduction to the essential principles of global law, exploring the central theories of globalization through an analysis of the main developments in this area. The Advanced Introduction concludes that despite the ongoing dialectic between national governments and international institutions, globalization and states are progressing in parallel, while civil societies are increasingly involved in the machinery of globalization. Key features include: Exploration of the key characteristics of the global legal space Discussion of the tensions between the state and global actors Analysis of the dialogue between civil societies and world regulators An examination of administrative forms of protection and their implementation. This Advanced Introduction will be a valuable guide for scholars and advanced students of global and transnational law. Examining both specific cases and relevant institutions and procedures, it will also be beneficial for legal practitioners.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. This Advanced Introduction to Substantive Criminal Law explores the doctrines, issues and controversies in the substantive field of criminal law. Chapters cover important theoretical and doctrinal topics, including the justifications for state blame and punishment, the foundations for criminalization, the prima facie case, affirmative defences of justification and excuse, and sentencing. Stephen J. Morse uses copious concrete examples drawn from cases, statutes and extended case studies, including the intricate grading of homicide, to enliven the discussion. Key Features: Concise and accessible format Theoretical explication of doctrinal intricacies Informative coverage and real world examples of criminal law Discussion of the challenges and responsibilities surrounding legal concepts of the person Providing a compact and succinct introduction to the rich scholarship of the field, this Advanced Introduction will be an ideal read for lawyers and law students interested in criminal law and justice. It will also be a valuable resource for law enforcement personnel and anyone looking to understand the role of criminal law as a means to achieve justice and social safety.

This innovative book explores the role of utopian thinking in law and politics, including alternative forms of social engineering, such as technology and architecture. Building on Levitas' Utopia as Method, the topic of utopia is addressed within the book from a multidisciplinary perspective. The book addresses central questions surrounding utopian thinking: What are its implications for law and politics? To what extent does it constitute a desirable vision? What are its risks or dangers? How is utopia related to ideology? An impressive selection of contributors reflect on the challenge of utopianism and its attraction, advancing the global public debate on social and political issues. Divided into three accessible parts, this book discusses the relationship between utopia and the law, the notion of utopian politics and utopia in architecture and technology. Addressing the topic of utopia from a variety of perspectives, this book will be an interesting read for academic scholars and students in the field of law, legal and political theory, philosophy, ethics, sociology, religious studies, technology and architecture. In particular, it is relevant for scholars who are interested in the dynamics of social, legal and political change.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. Herbert Kritzer presents a clear introduction to the history, methods and substance of empirical legal research (ELR). Quantitative methods dominate in empirical legal research, but an important segment of the field draws on qualitative methods, such as semi-structured interviews and observation. In this book both methodologies are explored alongside systematic data analysis. Offering an overview of the broad ELR literature, the institutions of the law, the central actors of the law, and the subjects of the law are each addressed in this highly readable account that will be essential reading for legal researchers. Key features include: Summaries of the history of empirical legal research A clear introduction to methods in empirical legal research Coverage of both quantitative and qualitative methods and research A readable guide to the impact and rationale of different methodologies. This relatively short book provides an invaluable quick introduction for students, scholars, legal professionals and policy professionals.

In this original and thought-provoking Research Handbook, an international and interdisciplinary group of scholars, artists, lawyers, judges, and writers offer a range of perspectives on rethinking law by means of literary concepts. Presenting a comprehensive introduction to jurisliterary themes, it destabilises the traditional hierarchy that places law before literature and exposes the literary nature of the legal. Chapters explore multiple genres and modes, from travel reviews to graphic novels, from poetics to ghost-writing, from cartography to speculative fiction. Working with diverse methods and areas of inquiry, including enstrangement, colonial entanglements, blockchain narratives, transing and transgression of many kinds, matterphor, aesthetics and epistemology, this Research Handbook provides a systematic application of literary approaches to the reading of law. Scholars and students of jurisprudence, and those in the humanities with an interest in law and literature, will find this ground-breaking Research Handbook an indispensable guide. It also offers insight to international legal scholars looking for materialist accounts of law, as well as those interested in contemporary challenges to the rule of law.

Bringing together current research from a diverse range of jurisdictions on family law, the Research Handbook on Family Justice Systems addresses the aims and boundaries of family justice systems. Delineating the common purpose of family law to achieve fairness for groups of people who live or have lived together, this Handbook is concerned with the rules referred to as ‘family law’, but also with the institutions comprising the operating system. This Handbook presents the view that a Family Justice System (FJS) is a living entity, working with and for a wide range of beliefs and practices, comprising far more than a set of rules and regulations, which can respond to a changing society, while also contributing to that change. Looking specifically at the FJS as an important and evolving element in the organisation of a society, with which sociologists, as well as lawyers and family sociologists are concerned, it explores how an FJS works in practice, what it tries to do and why. With contributions from the US, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Poland, Japan and China, this Research Handbook is an internationally relevant and comprehensive work. The Research Handbook on Family Justice Systems examines FJS in practice, making it highly pertinent to researchers, academics, practitioners, government lawyers, policymakers and government administrators in the fields of sociology and law with a special interest in family law and the FJS.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. Peter Goodrich presents a unique introduction to the concept of jurisliterature. Highlighting how lawyers have been extraordinarily productive of literary, artistic and political works, Goodrich explores the diversity and imagination of the law and literature tradition. Jurisliterature, he argues, is the source of legal invention and the sign of novelty in judgments. Key features include: a literary approach to viewing law exploration of the visual culture of the law engagement with the affective and performative practices of jurisliterature analysis of the legal style and traditional literary practices of lawyers and judges from an historical perspective. This Advanced Introduction will be a useful and concise guide for scholars and students of law and literature. It will also be beneficial for students and teachers of courses on jurisprudence, law and the humanities and socio-legal studies.

This timely book builds bridges between the notions of art and aesthetics, human rights, universality, and dignity. It explores a world in which art and justice enter a discussion to answer questions such as: can art translate the human experience? How does humanity link individuality and community building? How do human beings define and look for their identity? The fields of human rights and art are brought together in order to open the discussion. This interdisciplinary book brings together experts in the fields of art, cultural heritage, social justice, human rights, international law, and transitional justice, and presents the idea that a complex interplay between morality, politics, law, and aesthetics remains present in concrete settings such as the rights of cultural creators, the right to artistic expression, art as a catalyst of change in times of conflict, and post-conflict restitutions. Such Chapters offer vignettes of the current debates in the fields of art and human rights, tackling the issues at the confluence of these fields by providing both a general framework to understand the basis upon which the conversation can be built, and also by bringing to the discussion a diverse range of contemporary themes and concrete case analyses. This book will be an ideal read for academics interested in international law, transitional justice and human rights. Historians, lawyers, artists, and activists looking to explore the relationship between art and human rights in times of war, peace, and transition through their assessment of contemporary issues will also benefit from this comprehensive book.

Contemplating the nature, practice and study of private law, this comprehensive book offers a detailed overview of private law's theoretical dimensions. It promotes a reflective attitude towards the topic, encouraging the reader to question how private law is practiced and studied, what this implies for their own engagement in the field and what kind of private lawyer they want to be. Marc Loth explores the central notion that private law is a multi-layered system which can only be fully apprehended in context. This thought-provoking book draws on examples from a range of legal systems to provide philosophical perspectives on the diverse dimensions of private law. Chapters examine the concept, history, language, values, methods and discipline of private law, as well as legal professionalism and the expertise of the private lawyer. Private Law in Context will be a key resource for scholars and postgraduate students interested in legal theory, legal philosophy, law and society and the nature of private law as a system and a practice.

This innovative Handbook provides an expansive interrogation of the spaces and places of law, exploring how we engage relationally in a material world, within which we are inter-dependent and reliant, and governed by laws in a dynamic process. It advances novel insights into the numerous intersections of space, place and law in our lives. International contributors offer a range of activity-orientated analyses, focusing on methodology, embodied experience, legal pluralism, conflict and resistance, and non-human and place agency. The Handbook examines a number of cross-cutting themes including social inequality, environmental justice, sustainability, urban development, Indigenous legal systems, the effects of colonialism and property law. Representing a diversity of locales from all around the world, the chapters encompass both urban and rural, terrestrial and marine areas, agential and storied spaces, and fictional as well as ''real'' places. Taking a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates law, human and legal geography, planning, sociology, political ecology, anthropology, and beyond, this comprehensive Handbook will be critical reading for scholars and students of these and cognate areas. Its discussion of empirical examples will also be beneficial for practitioners and policymakers interested in these fields.

This innovative book proposes new theories on how the legal system can be made more comprehensible, usable and empowering for people through the use of design principles. Utilising key case studies and providing real-world examples of legal innovation, the book moves beyond discussion to action. It offers a rich set of examples, demonstrating how various design methods, including information, service, product and policy design, can be leveraged within research and practice. Providing a forward-thinking outlook, this book presents an in-depth examination of how a human-centred, visual and participatory design approach can improve legal services and outcomes. Spanning numerous fields of legal practice, from education, housing and contracts to intellectual property, it highlights how visuals, information design and better communication can help prevent and solve legal problems. Chapters explore a new vision of lawyering and its potential to encompass a more creative and collaborative approach to legal practice. Legal Design will be of benefit to students and scholars seeking an up-to-date analysis of current trends related to legal design thinking and execution. It will also be a key resource for legal practitioners, policy-makers, government officials and business professionals looking to deepen their understanding of the field and improve their own design tools.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. This Advanced Introduction to Substantive Criminal Law explores the doctrines, issues and controversies in the substantive field of criminal law. Chapters cover important theoretical and doctrinal topics, including the justifications for state blame and punishment, the foundations for criminalization, the prima facie case, affirmative defences of justification and excuse, and sentencing. Stephen J. Morse uses copious concrete examples drawn from cases, statutes and extended case studies, including the intricate grading of homicide, to enliven the discussion. Key Features: Concise and accessible format Theoretical explication of doctrinal intricacies Informative coverage and real world examples of criminal law Discussion of the challenges and responsibilities surrounding legal concepts of the person Providing a compact and succinct introduction to the rich scholarship of the field, this Advanced Introduction will be an ideal read for lawyers and law students interested in criminal law and justice. It will also be a valuable resource for law enforcement personnel and anyone looking to understand the role of criminal law as a means to achieve justice and social safety.

Drawing on rich, empirical case studies this innovative book provides a contemporary and comprehensive exploration of the plural, dynamic and precarious processes, materials, practices, interventions and relationships on social network sites, and their resultant power effects, when copyright and data privacy rights are at stake. In pursuit of this objective, chapters develop a cutting-edge conceptual power lens that brings together Actor-Network theory and Foucauldian scholarship on power. Applying this analytical framework to the case studies of Facebook (data protection) and YouTube (copyright), Asma Vranaki draws critical attention to underexplored and novel matters in digital regulation. These matters include resistance; the materiality of regulation; complex, contingent, fragile and dynamic digital 'regulatory spaces'; the contingency of power; law as a heterogenous 'assemblage'; the unintended consequence of local orderings; and the links between power and spaces. Ultimately, the author demonstrates that power effects are highly localised, precarious and contingent outcomes of manifold, complex and fluid alliances between diverse humans and non-humans. Advancing various contentions on how social network sites can be successfully regulated, the empirical analyses and multi-disciplinary approaches in this book will prove invaluable to students, scholars and practitioners of law, particularly those interested in regulation, data protection and copyright in social network sites.

Contemplating the nature, practice and study of private law, this comprehensive book offers a detailed overview of private law's theoretical dimensions. It promotes a reflective attitude towards the topic, encouraging the reader to question how private law is practiced and studied, what this implies for their own engagement in the field and what kind of private lawyer they want to be. Marc Loth explores the central notion that private law is a multi-layered system which can only be fully apprehended in context. This thought-provoking book draws on examples from a range of legal systems to provide philosophical perspectives on the diverse dimensions of private law. Chapters examine the concept, history, language, values, methods and discipline of private law, as well as legal professionalism and the expertise of the private lawyer. Private Law in Context will be a key resource for scholars and postgraduate students interested in legal theory, legal philosophy, law and society and the nature of private law as a system and a practice.

Elgar Research Agendasoutline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are give n the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary. Forward-looking and innovative, Elgar Research Agendas are an essential resource for PhD students, scholars and anybody who wants to be at the forefront of research. This timely book utilises the specialised insights and experiences of those who have carried out research on different aspects of social welfare law and policy to construct an innovative post-Brexit and post-Covid 19 research agenda that identifies what needs to be studied and how this should be carried out. Embracing not only social welfare law but also social welfare policy, practice and impact, expert contributors consider major areas of non-economic law, such as asylum and immigration law, health law, social care law, social work and child welfare law, social security law, and issues involving social rights. Individual chapters cover branches of social welfare law, four areas of social welfare policy, four distinctive methodological approaches, and three contemporary developments. They reflect a wide-ranging set of substantive concerns and methodological approaches and, taken together, comprise a challenging but non-prescriptive research agenda. This Research Agenda will be a key resource for socio-legal researchers contemplating research on social welfare law and policy, as well as research councils, government departments and charitable bodies that fund research on social welfare law and policy.

This unique Research Handbook maps the historical, theoretical, and methodological concepts in sociology of law, exploring the rich and complex nature of this area of research. It argues that sociology of law flourishes due to its strong capacity for interdisciplinary engagement and links to other scientific concepts, methodologies and research fields. Composed as a set of enquiries into the current state of sociology of law, expert contributions cover diverse themes such as inequality and discrimination, crime and punishment, and social justice. Reflecting on recent publications in law and society, socio-legal studies and interdisciplinary law research, the Research Handbook revisits the specific role of sociology of law, its disciplinary boundaries and its relationship to both legal and social sciences. The comprehensive nature of the Research Handbook on the Sociology of Law will appeal to law and social justice practitioners and scholars, as well as students in legal and social science fields who are looking to understand current trends and future research in the discipline.

This timely book provides a comprehensive overview of European pension law with a dual purpose: both to introduce the legal aspects of different forms of pension at the European level, as well as to explore the main legal policy issues. Throughout the book, the three main types of pension - state pension, occupational pension and personal pension - are examined, together with the issues of financing, institutions, solvency, stakeholders, and rights and duties. The book therefore provides a nuanced guide to the field, going beyond merely a paraphrase of European law or the case law of the European Court of Justice. Yves Stevens also outlines the main principles of European pension law, reflecting on them from historical, sociological and teleological points of view. The constant interaction between law, economics and social policy is the reference point for the legal debates at the heart of this book. Offering a unique insight into how the European bodies work to bring about pension legislation, EU Pension Law will be a key resource for scholars and students in the fields of financial regulation and economics, European law, finance law and social security law.