Edition launch: "Troubling Law’s Sensorium: Explorations in Sensational Jurisprudence"

The Concordia Centre for Sensory Studies, in association with the McGill Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism, is pleased to announce the launch of a special issue of the Canadian Journal of Law and Society, no. 34(2), edited by Professor David Howes, on the theme of “Troubling Law’s Sensorium: Explorations in Sensational Jurisprudence.”

A light lunch will be served starting at 12:30. The presentations and discussion will start at 13:15. The event will last till 15:30 or so. All are welcome.

Abstract

Some questions addressed in this special issue include: How are notions of justice informed by sensory models? What values does the design and atmosphere of the courtroom uphold? What kinds of sensory experiences can be taken into account as evidence? What is the role of silence in judicial proceedings? Can there be property in sensations such as colours or textures? How is the force of law mediated by the senses in the prison, or on the street (e.g. among the homeless)? How do some odours and sounds come to be considered as offences against the public sensorium? How do Indigenous cultural traditions challenge and suggest alternatives to the sensory assumptions of the Western legal system?

A number of contributors to the special issue will be present to present their work in brief 20-minute talks: David Howes (Sociology & Anthropology, Concordia / Faculty of Law, McGill); Mark Antaki (Faculty of Law, McGill); Charlene Elliott (Communication & Culture, Calgary); Sheryl Hamilton (Journalism & Communication / Law & Legal Studies, Carleton); and Christiane Wilke (Law & Legal Studies, Carleton).