Frank Fleerackers

This book highlights how conversion via communication is one of the most important issues in legal thinking. A major aspect is its link with language – legal texts, judgments, opinions and legal concepts included. Further, conversion is connected to all social positions in law. But a jurist will not solely master specific social behaviors or become the manager of large-scale political fields of law as a legal scientist. A continuously changing integration opens up to his views on reality as it presents itself incessantly. Law and its functionaries are in a never-ending process of change in all domains of culture, which mark the 21st century. Conversions thus concern the riddle of wisdom and automatism, of individual privacy and social fixations, of philosophical considerations and converting flows.

This engaging book examines the origins and first effects of the concept ‘legal semiotics’, focusing on the inventor of the term, Roberta Kevelson (1931-1998). It highlights the importance of her ideas and works which have contributed to legal theory, legal interpretation and philosophy of language. Kevelson’s work is particularly relevant today, in our world of global electronic communication networks which rely so much on language, signs, signals and shortcuts. Kevelson could not have foreseen the 21st century, yet the story of her work and influence deserves more attention as it is key to our understanding of modern legal discourse and why law fascinates and is accepted in modern society. The authors draw on Kevelson’s hitherto unknown Office Papers and Notes, and a biographical examination points to key influences in her work such as the early feminist movements of the US East Coast, the philosophy of Charles Sanders Peirce and the semiotics of Thomas Sebeok. This formsthe basis for a more encompassing research of Kevelson’s position, work and philosophical background, which the authors call for. A quick and enlightening read, this book interests a wide range of readers with an interest in legal history and the fields which Kevelson both drew on and influenced, including lawyers, students and scholars.

Conversation and argument concerning laws and legal situations take place throughout society and at all levels, yet the language of these conversations differs greatly from that of the courtroom. This insightful book considers the gap between everyday discussion about law and the artificial, technical language developed by lawyers, judges and other legal specialists. In doing so, it explores the intriguing possibilities for future synthesis, a problem often neglected by legal theory. Analyzing the major components of law and legal procedure across both common and civil law, this book reveals how legal conversation on the `street' contributes to our understanding of law as well as our democratic citizenship. Jan M. Broekman and Frank Fleerackers consider the impact of multiculturalism and the threat of terror on our impressions of legal conversation and the importance we place upon it, arguing that anarchism and legalism are hostile neighbors sharing many themes and motives. Exploring the meaning and sense of the concept of `street' in ancient and modern times, the authors pose the question: is law just a discourse or should it be classified as one of the major narratives in human life? Unique and discerning, this book will appeal to anyone interested in the language of law. Legal educators will find their scope broadened whilst researchers, activists and politicians will find themselves captivated by the focus on social activism and citizen motivation.