The Law Multiple: Judgment and Knowledge in Practice

Irene van Oorschot takes the reader on an ethnographic journey through judicial and social-scientific ways of seeing the world, showing how judges and researchers, case files and research methods, theories and narratives become implicated with each other to produce different understandings of the world.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 226 pages
Publication date: 06 April 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

In the realm of socio-legal studies or law and society scholarship, it is uncommon to encounter empirically robust and conceptually intricate interpretations of actual legal practice. This book, however, bridges the gap between abstract and concrete concepts, bringing together the theoretical and the practical. By doing so, it reveals the law as an inherently social, material, and temporal practice. This book employs cutting-edge research in the social study of knowledge to address critical questions within the field, such as the location and mechanisms of empirical judgment, the formation of facts, and the methodologies for studying these localized and concrete ways of judging and knowing.

Drawing from an ethnographic investigation of how narratives and documents, particularly case files, function within legal practices, this book offers a distinctive and groundbreaking approach. It challenges the conventional boundaries separating judgment from knowledge, prompting a reevaluation of the processes through which truths are established within the legal system.

The book's central argument revolves around the notion that legal practices are deeply intertwined with narratives and documents. It explores how these elements shape and influence the processes of judgment, fact-finding, and truth-making within the legal sphere. By examining the ways in which narratives and documents are used, interpreted, and created within legal contexts, the book offers a novel perspective on the dynamics of legal reasoning and decision-making.

One of the book's key contributions lies in its rearticulation of the traditional boundaries between judgment and knowledge. It challenges the notion that these two domains are separate and distinct, arguing instead that they are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. The book suggests that judgment is not merely an individual or cognitive process, but is also deeply embedded in social and material contexts. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the role of power, ideology, and cultural norms in shaping legal practices and the construction of truth.

Furthermore, the book proposes a methodological framework for studying these local and concrete ways of judging and knowing. It draws on insights from the field of ethnography, which involves immersing oneself in a particular community or culture to observe and document their practices and beliefs. The book advocates for a holistic approach that considers not only the legal aspects of a case but also the broader social, cultural, and historical contexts in which it occurs.

In conclusion, this book offers a groundbreaking exploration of the relationship between law, society, and knowledge. By bridging the gap between abstract and concrete concepts, it provides a rich and nuanced understanding of actual legal practice. Through its innovative approach and ethnographic study, it challenges traditional boundaries and encourages a reevaluation of the processes through which truths are established within the legal system. This book will be of interest to scholars and practitioners in the fields of law, sociology, and social studies, as well as anyone interested in the broader implications of legal practices and the construction of truth.

ISBN-13: 9781108796996