Public Justice and the Anthropology of Law

In this powerful, timely study Ronald Niezen examines the processes by which cultural concepts are conceived and collective rights are defended in international law. Niezen argues that cultivating support on behalf of those experiencing human rights violations often calls for strategic representations of injustice and suffering to distant audiences. The positive impulse behind public responses to political abuse can be found in the satisfaction of justice done. But the fact that oppressed peoples and their supporters from around the world are competing for public attention is actually a profound source of global difference, stemming from differential capacities to appeal to a remote, unknown public. Niezen's discussion of the impact of public opinion on law provides fresh insights into the importance of legally-constructed identity and the changing pathways through which it is being shaped - crucial issues for all those with an interest in anthropology, politics and human rights law.

Author: Ronald Niezen
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 11/30/2010
Pages: 270
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.97lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9780521152204

Review Citation(s):
Choice 11/01/2011

About the Author
Niezen, Ronald: - Ronald Niezen is Professor of Anthropology and Canada Research Chair at McGill University. He has a wide range of international research experience, including work with the UN Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Arctic Council. His publications include Defending the Land: Sovereignty and Forest Life in James Bay Cree Society, 2nd edition (2008) and The Rediscovered Self: Indigenous Identity and Cultural Justice (2009).