Law is a multifaceted, pervasive and fundamental element of any society. Its reach is deep and wide, and its use or abuse can affect one person or many. Law is both a product of society and productive of social relationships. It can be oppressive or liberating; just or unjust; it can compel or constrain. As such, the law and its role in society is a quintessentially interdisciplinary subject and one which constantly generates dialogue in and across disciplinary boundaries.
The research cluster Law and Society will bring together faculty and students from across the humanities and social science disciplines at both the University of Manitoba and University of Winnipeg communities interested in the social, cultural, and political dimensions of the law and its role in society with the goal of creating a community of mutually supportive scholars and fostering interdisciplinary collaborative research.
The cluster will organize a range of scholarly activities, including a trio of keynote lectures, focused reading sessions, and a research workshop.
The contact person for Law and Society is Professor Greg Smith of the Department of History.
The Law & Society Reserach Cluster is co-organized by:
Dr. Chris Frank (History)
Prof. Debra Parkes (Law)
Dr. Russell Smandych (Sociology)
Dr. Greg Smith (History)
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Past L&SRC Events, 2006-2007
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September 26th, 2006 Join us in 409 Tier on Tuseday Sep. 26th at 3:30 p.m. for an organizational session where you can meet the others interested in the Law and Society Reserach Cluster. We will discuss the LSRC program for the 2006-07 academic year and get a sense of the general interests of potential cluster members. |
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October 24th and 25, 2006 Tuesday October 24th, 7:30 pm. McNally Robinson Bookstore, Grant Park. "Crime and the Law in Eighteenth Century England" Wednesday October 25th, 11:45-1:00. 409 Tier, University of Manitoba. "The First English Detectives: Policing London in the Eighteenth Century" |
October 30 2006, 2:45-4:30 p.m. 409 Tier Co-sponsored with the Research Centre for Globalization and Cultural Studies. Participants are asked to read the discussion paper,"Crossing Borders: Law in a Globalized World," released in March 2006 by the Law Commission of Canada, before attending to ensure a focussed discussion. The Law Commission of Canada is an independent federal law reform agency that advises Parliament on how to improve and modernize Canada's laws. A full copy of the paper may be obtained here or by clicking on the image. A few hard copies will be available in the Institute for the Humanities office (407 Tier). This workshop is part of a consultation on "the study of globalization as it affects the effectiveness and legitimacy of the Canadian legal system." The discussion paper divides the implications of globalization for law reform into two broad classes: Law-Making, Legitimacy and Accountability, and Sovereignty, Jurisdiction and Uneven Access to Just Outcomes. All are welcome but please register your intent to attend with the Humanities Institute. More >> |
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Friday, 24 November 2006 CSI:Mantario Forensic science and DNA technology are essential components of modern police work. But how did investigators gather and interpret evidence in the past as compared to the present? In this research roundtable we ask: How is evidence discovered/created in homicide investigations? What constitutes 'solid' evidence? What role does the coronoer's office play in the investigation of homicide? Dr. Kirsten Kramar (Sociology, University of Winnipeg) will discuss the role of the Ontario Coroner in recent cases of infant and child murder in her talk entitled "Speaking for the Dead: Coroner's Interested Advocacy and Wrongful Prosecutions and Convictions". Dr. Kramar will be joined by Dr. Charles Ferguson (Manitoba Coroner and Director of the Child Protection Centre, Heath Sciences Centre) who will talk about his experiences of testifying as an expert witness in Manitoba child abuse and homicide trials. |
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29 January 2007, 2:30--5:30 p.m. A mini-conference where cluster participants will introduce and discuss their ongoing research projects as they relate to the 'Law & Society' theme. Brief presentations by graduate students and faculty from various disciplines (Criminology, History, Law, Politics, Sociology) will be followed by a general discussion and Q&A. All
are welcome to attend. Click here to view the program>> |
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1 February 2007, 12:00-1:20 p.m. What does the 1838 trial of two men in Upper Canada for treason tell us about the "liberal order" in Canada? What role does loyalist thinking play in the legal and political conceptualizations of the Canadian state? Please join Dr. Jerry Bannister (History, Dalhousie University) for a presentation and discussion of his paper "Canada as Counter-Revolution." 2 February, 2007, 2:45-4:30 p.m. Newfoundland, like many colonial outposts, was a lawless frontier where might made right and few cared what happened to the residents of this far-flung Atlantic territory. Such potted descriptions no longer cut it, according to Dr. Jerry Bannister. His award-winning book The Rule of the Admirals challenges this simplistic view and argues instead that custom and the rule of law were essential components of colonial development. Dr. Bannister will be on hand to talk about the connections between law, society and history, and to respond to a discussion of his book. |
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Law, Power & the Environment The impact of human society on the natural environment has sparked heated debates over the need and the ability of the state to regulate human behaviour in ways that permit 'sustainable development' while at the same time, recognizing property rights, economic interests and customary or traditional land-use practises. With any attempt to fix the nature of such claims in law comes the realization that different groups in society have established varying and complex legal and cultural claims to property and resources, frequently leading to conflict and the need to deterime with care the 'rights' that competing groups have. Dr. Douglas C. Harris (Law, University of British Columbia) considers these problems through an analysis of the connection between the allocation of Indian reserves and the regulation of the fisheries in British Columbia between 1850-1925. His talks will frame these issues within a broader discussion about the consolidation of power in the state and about the particular role of law in that process in order to draw out the theoretical considerations of law, space, and power. Thursday March 15, 2007 2:30-4:00 Friday March 16, 2007 12:00-1:00 Co-sponsored by the Faculty of Law Distinguished Visitors' Program |
Dr. Harris is the author of Fish, Law, and Colonialism: The Legal Capture of Salmon in British Columbia (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2001)
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Site last updated 5 February 2007