Legal Sociology Reformulated: the Transformation of Law in Globalization and New Citizenship

This article seeks to demonstrate how Law inter-related with Economy, constitutes in modern societies one of the main instruments for the construction of citizen consensus or the construction of political hegemony in modern societies. If we consider this affirmation —as is argued here— the transformations suffered in recent decades by Law as a consequence of the new phase of capitalistic globalization, have played an important role in the constitution of a new subjectivity (“single thought”) in the population.

Homens e mulheres na EMERJ: percepções de gênero dos “concurseiros”

Este trabalho tem como objetivo revelar as percepções de gênero dos “concurseiros” e os obstáculos enfrentados por eles até a aprovação no concurso público pretendido. Para que tal análise pudesse ser elaborada, foram usados trechos de narrativas realizadas em grupos focais com alunos do Curso de Especialização em Direito para a Carreira da Magistratura, ministrado na Escola de Magistratura do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (EMERJ). Este artigo se desenvolve a partir da pesquisa teórica sobre profissionalismo e gênero, e posteriormente, com a análise das experiências pessoais de cada aluno.

Einige Erwägungen zur juristischen Untersuchung in Mexiko

Die neuen Paradigmen der Rechtswissenschaft nötigen uns beim Erwerb juristischen Wissens dazu, uns in eine kreativere und problemorientiertere Dynamik des Lehrens-Lernens einzugliedern. Die neuen Generationen der Rechtsgelehrten sollten darum bemüht sein, die verschiedenen theoretisch-methodologischen Strömungen des Rechts, z.B. des juristischen Realismus, den juristischen Strukturalismus sowie die angewandte juristische Soziologie zu studieren und zu analysieren. Andererseits sollten sie nicht dogmatisch und ausschliesslich den juristischen Positivismus des 19. Jahrhunderts vertreten. Die juristischen Fakultäten und Schulen der Republik Mexiko zeichnen sich dadurch aus, dass sie die traditionelle juristische Lehre bewahren. Darin liegt der Grund, dass es nur wenige Juristen gibt, die sich der juristischen Forschung und der wissenschaftlichen Praxis widmen.

Reflections on the sociology of law: A rejection of law as 'socially marginal'

Rejecting the concept of law as subservient to social pathology, the principle aim of this article is to locatc law as a critical matter of social structure - and power - which requires to be considered as a central element in the construction of society and social institutions. As such, this article contends that wider jurisprudential notions such as legal procedure and procedural justice, and juridical power and discretion are cogent, robust normative social concerns (as much as they are legal concerns) that positively require consideration and representation in the ernpifical study of sociological phenomena. Reflecting upon scholarship and research evidence on legal procedure and decision-making, the article attempts to elucidate the inter-relationship between power, 'the social', and the operation of law. It concludes that law is not 'socially marginal' but socially, totally central. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Legal Integration of Islam: A Transatlantic Comparison

The status of Islam in Western societies remains deeply contentious. Countering strident claims on both the right and left, Legal Integration of Islam offers an empirically informed analysis of how four liberal democracies—France, Germany, Canada, and the United States—have responded to the challenge of integrating Islam and Muslim populations. Demonstrating the centrality of the legal system to this process, Christian Joppke and John Torpey reject the widely held notion that Europe is incapable of accommodating Islam and argue that institutional barriers to Muslim integration are no greater on one side of the Atlantic than the other. While Muslims have achieved a substantial degree of equality working through the courts, political dynamics increasingly push back against these gains, particularly in Europe. From a classical liberal viewpoint, religion can either be driven out of public space, as in France, or included without sectarian preference, as in Germany. But both policies come at a price—religious liberty in France and full equality in Germany. Often seen as the flagship of multiculturalism, Canada has found itself responding to nativist and liberal pressures as Muslims become more assertive. And although there have been outbursts of anti-Islamic sentiment in the United States, the legal and political recognition of Islam is well established and largely uncontested. Legal Integration of Islam brings to light the successes and the shortcomings of integrating Islam through law without denying the challenges that this religion presents for liberal societies.

Double Standards? Veils and Crucifixes in the European Legal Order

Comparing the treatment of Islamic veils and Christian crucifixes by the European Court of Human Rights, this paper re-examines the charge of “double standards” on the part of this guardian of the European legal order, which is seen as disadvantaging Islam and favoring Christianity. While this is proved partially correct, the paper calls for a more differentiated treatment of the issue. For one, there is a modicum of consistency in the European Court’s decisions, because they are all meant to further “pluralism”. Only, Islam and Christianity fare differently in this respect, as “threat” to and “affirmation” of pluralism, respectively. This distinction hinges on Islam’s compatibility with the liberal-secular order, on which the jury is out. A possible way out of the “pluralism v. pluralism” dilemma, I argue, is signaled in the European Court’s recent decision in Lautsi v. Italy (2011), which pairs a preference for “culturalized” Christianity with robust minority pluralism.