Law's Dream of a Common Knowledge

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Law, Jurisprudence
Cover of the book Law's Dream of a Common Knowledge by Mariana Valverde, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mariana Valverde ISBN: 9781400825561
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: February 9, 2009
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Mariana Valverde
ISBN: 9781400825561
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: February 9, 2009
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

If knowledge is power, then the power of law can be studied through the lens of knowledge. This book opens up a substantive new area of legal research--knowledge production--and presents a series of case studies showing that the hybridity and eclecticism of legal knowledge processes make it unfruitful to ask questions such as, "Is law becoming more dominated by science?" Mariana Valverde argues that legal decision making cannot be understood if one counterposes science and technology, on the one hand, to common knowledge and common sense on the other. The case studies of law's flexible collage of knowledges range from determinations of drunkenness made by liquor licensing inspectors and by police, through police testimony in "indecency" cases, to how judges define the "truth" of sexuality and the harm that obscenity poses to communities.

Valverde emphasizes that the types of knowledge that circulate in such legal arenas consist of "facts," values, and codes from numerous incompatible sources that combine to produce interesting hybrids with wide-ranging legal and social effects. Drawing on Foucaultian and other analytical tools, she cogently demonstrates that different modes of knowledge, and hence various forms of power, coexist happily.

Law's Dream of a Common Knowledge underlines the importance of analyzing dynamically how knowledge formation works. And it helps us to better understand the workings of power and resistance in a variety of contemporary contexts. It will interest scholars and students from disciplines including law, sociology, anthropology, history, and science-and-technology studies as well as those concerned with the particular issues raised by the case studies.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

If knowledge is power, then the power of law can be studied through the lens of knowledge. This book opens up a substantive new area of legal research--knowledge production--and presents a series of case studies showing that the hybridity and eclecticism of legal knowledge processes make it unfruitful to ask questions such as, "Is law becoming more dominated by science?" Mariana Valverde argues that legal decision making cannot be understood if one counterposes science and technology, on the one hand, to common knowledge and common sense on the other. The case studies of law's flexible collage of knowledges range from determinations of drunkenness made by liquor licensing inspectors and by police, through police testimony in "indecency" cases, to how judges define the "truth" of sexuality and the harm that obscenity poses to communities.

Valverde emphasizes that the types of knowledge that circulate in such legal arenas consist of "facts," values, and codes from numerous incompatible sources that combine to produce interesting hybrids with wide-ranging legal and social effects. Drawing on Foucaultian and other analytical tools, she cogently demonstrates that different modes of knowledge, and hence various forms of power, coexist happily.

Law's Dream of a Common Knowledge underlines the importance of analyzing dynamically how knowledge formation works. And it helps us to better understand the workings of power and resistance in a variety of contemporary contexts. It will interest scholars and students from disciplines including law, sociology, anthropology, history, and science-and-technology studies as well as those concerned with the particular issues raised by the case studies.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book The Enculturated Gene by Mariana Valverde
Cover of the book Eclipse of God by Mariana Valverde
Cover of the book The Pity of Partition by Mariana Valverde
Cover of the book Founding Gods, Inventing Nations by Mariana Valverde
Cover of the book How to Keep Your Cool by Mariana Valverde
Cover of the book A Written Republic by Mariana Valverde
Cover of the book Higher Education in America by Mariana Valverde
Cover of the book Writing on the Wall by Mariana Valverde
Cover of the book Strange Glow by Mariana Valverde
Cover of the book Terror in France by Mariana Valverde
Cover of the book The Corruption of Angels by Mariana Valverde
Cover of the book Lyric Poetry by Mariana Valverde
Cover of the book Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Volume 8 by Mariana Valverde
Cover of the book Ugliness and Judgment by Mariana Valverde
Cover of the book Understanding Institutions by Mariana Valverde
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy