Concurrent Session - Class, Critical Analysis and Socio-Economics

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In recent years, a number of progressive legal scholars have been seeking not only a critical, interdisciplinary analysis of law and economic inequality, but also a constructive alternative to "law and economics." Contributors to this effort often refer to themselves as  “Class-Crits,” a term that highlights their attention to class as it affects law and justice, though their interests are more expansive and include the interrelations of government and markets as well as subordination in all its forms. In the spring of 2010, the University of Buffalo Law School sponsored a workshop, “Rethinking Economics and Law After the Great Recession,” at which legal scholars and economists came together to explore the potential of this initiative. This session considers the approach and goals of the Class-Crits and compares them to those of the AALS Section on Socio-Economics, as reflected in its three-paragraph constitutional definition.