Law by Night

Law by Night by Jonathan Goldberg-Hiller explores how the social experience and cultural meanings of night promote racialized and gender violence, but also make possible freedom of movement for marginalized groups. He argues that liberal legal doctrine lacks a theory of the night that accounts for a nocturnal politics that has historically allowed violence to persist, and that by locating the laws nocturnal limits, we can understand how the law reinforces hierarchies of race and gender and foregrounds the nights potential to enliven a more egalitarian social life.

Format: Unspecified
Length: 344 pages
Publication date: 21 November 2023
Publisher: Duke University Press

In his book "Law by Night," Jonathan Goldberg-Hiller delves into the enigmatic realm of modern law and its authority, shedding light on its operation in the obscurity of the night. He explores how the social experience and cultural significance of night foster racialized and gender violence, while simultaneously providing marginalized groups with the opportunity for freedom of movement that might otherwise be unattainable during the day. Through an in-depth examination of nighttime racial violence, curfews, gun ownership, the right to sleep, and "take back the night" rallies, Goldberg-Hiller compellingly argues that liberal legal doctrine lacks a comprehensive theory that accounts for the nocturnal politics that have historically allowed violence to persist. By identifying the boundaries of the law in the nighttime context, he offers a profound enrichment of our understanding of how the law perpetuates hierarchies of race and gender while also highlighting the potential for the night to foster a more egalitarian social life.

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Weight: 635g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478020530