Law and Anthropology

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The disciplinary traditions of anthropology offer a unique contribution in this critical moment.  Anthropology demands empiricism grounded in extensive fieldwork, an antidote to "fake news" and "fast facts"; and it challenges received conceptual categories, introducing healthy skepticism to the commonplaces and tropes of polarized politics.  This session is formulated around a perennial concern in anthropological work, the Kantian theme of critique.  Panelists will present fieldwork-based inquiry into technology, surveillance, and policing; the intersections of criminal law, property doctrines, and stigma in minority neighborhoods; protest in Native American country; and religious doctrine in capital punishment advocacy.  The session will build from the presentations to consider together how anthropologically-informed work can enrich legal scholarship, argumentation, teaching, and advocacy.

Business meeting at program conclusion.