Exploring Creative Research Methods in Socio-Legal Studies

The late Kerry Petersen once wrote that socio-legality “is a ‘broad church’ of ideas with a critical element which challenges the assumption that law is a neutral, reasoned discipline” (2013, p 1). It harnesses, appropriates and borrows from a wide range of discourses, theories and methodologies from the social sciences to examine law in its myriad contexts. From law-in-action to legal ethnography, and qualitative research to participatory observations, socio-legality continues to provide an innovative intellectual home for studying the intersections of law and society.

This workshop invites socio-legal scholars to explore how we can do empirical research creatively and how we can continue to innovate the discipline by encompassing insights from the social sciences. During this workshop, scholars will be invited to think about how they do socio-legal research and focus their presentation on methodology, whether that may be law-in-action, legal ethnography, qualitative research or participatory observations. We will also hear from scholars who have knowledge of conducting research with participants with lived experience of legal problems, the trials and tribulations of ethics committees and trauma-informed qualitative research.

The workshop will have a limited number of participants to facilitate in-depth discussions and conversations between presenters and attendees. The program will be made available shortly.