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A New Social Constructionism for Sociolegal Studies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2024

Elizabeth Mertz
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Extract

In this essay I make a case for what I call a “moderate” and also an “empirically grounded” social constructionist approach, which I conceptualize as a further development of numerous strands of a longstanding and rich tradition. I argue that this approach, one I see as emergent now in cross-disciplinary work like that presented in this Symposium, can help to move scholarly discourse past the impasses posed by dichotomous, either/or thinking about law, society, and epistemology. To orient those unfamiliar with the pertinent scholarship, I begin with a sketch of the intellectual traditions and issues involved.

Type
Conclusion
Information
Law & Society Review , Volume 28 , Issue 5: Symposium: Community and Identity in Sociolegal Studies , 1994 , pp. 1243 - 1266
Copyright
Copyright © 1994 by The Law and Society Association.

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Footnotes

I thank Frank Munger, Bryant Garth, Carol Greenhouse, Jane Larson, Sally Merry, Ray Solomon, and Chris Tomlins for discussions that helped me to clarify my thinking on many of the points discussed in this essay. Frank, Bryant, and Carol were willing readers of earlier versions at lightning turnaround rates; I am very much in their debt. Thanks also to Bette Sikes for expert editing. I acknowledge the assistance of Christine Garza in guiding my initial readings of the exciting works of Latina scholars to which I refer here. I also thank Shepley Orr for a similar kind of introduction to the works of Gergen and his colleagues.

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