Law and Emotion

This stream invites submissions exploring the intersection between law and emotion across a wide variety of fields and topics.

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Law and emotion scholarship is an exciting international, interdisciplinary field of legal research.  It is based on the premise that emotion is highly relevant to law and can and should be studied in the legal context.  A common approach is to take a legal question and bring to it a perspective grounded in the study or theory of emotion.  This presents a significant challenge to the conventional legal view of law as the embodiment of reason and rationality, with emotion being perceived as, at best, irrelevant and, at worst, dangerous.

 

Proposals based on any topics relating to law and emotion are welcomed, as are suggestions for whole panels, interactive workshops and other innovative methods of delivery.  Relevant topics could include:

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• The involvement and impact of emotion in civil law and criminal law.

• The role of emotion in legal education and training and the legal profession.

• The role of emotion in relation to legal actors, including issues of wellbeing.

• Theoretical approaches to, and practical applications of, the use of emotion, for example, using emotional intelligence or therapeutic jurisprudence.

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It is hoped that this stream will provide a valuable opportunity for collaboration and networking for researchers in the field of law and emotion, as part of the development of a wider UK-based Law and Emotion Network.  It will also provide an important opportunity to develop links with, and present insights to, the wider legal academy and others interested in this important and developing field.

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If you wish to discuss your ideas further and/or would like to join the developing Law and Emotion Network, please do not hesitate to contact the stream conveners (below).

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Conveners

Emma Jones (e.j.jones@open.ac.uk) and John Stannard (j.stannard@qub.ac.uk)