Böcker i Chicago Law and Society-serien

Arguing with Tradition is the first book to explore language and interaction within a contemporary Native American legal system. Grounded in Justin Richland's extensive field research on the Hopi Indian Nation of northeastern Arizona--on whose appellate court he now serves as Justice Pro Tempore--this innovative work explains how Hopi notions of tradition and culture shape and are shaped by the processes of Hopi jurisprudence. Like many indigenous legal institutions across North America, the Hopi Tribal Court was created in the image of Anglo-American-style law. But Richland shows that in recent years, Hopi jurists and litigants have called for their courts to develop a jurisprudence that better reflects Hopi culture and traditions. Providing unprecedented insights into the Hopi and English courtroom interactions through which this conflict plays out, Richland argues that tensions between the language of Anglo-style law and Hopi tradition both drive Hopi jurisprudence and make it unique. Ultimately, Richland's analyses of the language of Hopi law offer a fresh approach to the cultural politics that influence indigenous legal and governmental practices worldwide.

A meticulous and thought-provoking look at how tribes use their language to engage in "cooperation without submission."

Published in 2010 and with over 8,700 copies sold, Calavita s book has already established itself as the leading introduction to the field of law and society. Everyone has some idea of what lawyers do. And most people have at least heard of criminologists. But, who knows what law and society is? It is, in fact, a rapidly-growing interdisciplinary field which turns on its head the conventional, idealized view of Law as a magisterial abstraction. Rather than look at law-on-the-books, the field focuses on law-in-action how law both shapes and manifests itself in the institutions and interactions of human society. This formative theme runs through Kitty Calavita s engagingly and concisely written book. Intended to introduce students and curious outsiders alike to the field, the book uses a conversational style to survey the field s prominent issues and distinctive approaches, from the ubiquity of law in everyday life to its potential and limits in effecting social change. For the second edition, Calavita has made changes throughout the book. updating the many illustrations and anecdotes used to clarify concepts and theories, so they may more directly resonate with the contemporary reader. There is also an entirely new chapter introducing the reader to the law and cultural studies movement that has become increasingly prominent in the field."