Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Integrative Research Institute Law & Society (LSI)

The Socio-Legal Lab is a space for students/researchers who would like to apply socio-legal methods in their research projects, but face theoretical/methodological challenges in doing so. It aims to create a collaborative learning atmosphere to discuss and ideate about what it means to do socio-legal research.

The first workshop was convened in the spring of 2018 at the Law & Society Institute Berlin. It provided an overview of key debates in socio-legal research and an insight into different methodological schools that are prominent in the field. Part two aims to delve deeper into the questions raised at the first workshop with a focus on ‘data’ and different ways of seeing, approaching and using it.

The one-day workshop will start with an introduction of key questions raised in the first workshop. This is followed by a public panel discussion with Prof. Dr. Susanne Baer, Prof. Dr. Philipp Dann, Prof. Dr. Julia Eckert and Prof. Dr. Marie-Claire Foblets. These experts with different interdisciplinary backgrounds will address one fundamental challenge of analyzing socio-legal data: How do we bridge common dichotomies in socio-legal research such as micro/macro structures, critical/engaged/applied knowledge production or descriptive-analytical/normative-dogmatic approaches? The second half of the workshop will be devoted to methodological sessions organized by the participants based on their interests. These sessions will engage in the following discussions: How is data from different sources like archives or interviews collected, coded and produced? How do these processes construct knowledge and produce different narratives? And what does this mean for the work of individual researchers? Through a mixture of inputs from invited academics and participants, reading and interactive activities, the Socio-Legal Lab aims to provide a platform for meaningful discussions and brainstorming. 

Please confirm your participation until January 2nd 2019 on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/socio-legal-labconducting-structuring-and-analyzing-socio-legal-data-tickets-52956025899

For further information on the program, please contact the convenors – Lisa Hahn (lisa.hahn@rewi.hu-berlin.de) and Siddharth de Souza (siddharth.de.souza@rewi.hu-berlin.de).

The workshop is supported by Berliner Arbeitskreis Rechtswirklichkeit.