Legal systems do not operate in isolation but in complex cultural contexts. This original and thought-provoking volume considers how cultural assumptions are built into American legal decision-making, drawing on a series of case studies to demonstrate the range of ways courts express their understanding of human nature, social relationships, and the sense of orderliness that cultural schemes purport to offer. Unpacking issues such as native heritage, male circumcision, and natural law, Rosen provides fresh insight into socio-legal studies, drawing on his extensive experience as both an anthropologist and a law professional to provide a unique perspective on the important issue of law and cultural practice. The Judgement of Culture will make informative reading for students and scholars of anthropology, law, and related subjects across the social sciences.
Author(s): Lawrence Rosen
Publisher: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group
Year: 2018
Language: English
Pages: 266
Tags: Culture, American Law
Cover......Page 1
Half Title......Page 2
Title Page......Page 4
Copyright Page......Page 5
Dedication......Page 6
Contents......Page 8
List of illustrations......Page 10
Acknowledgments......Page 11
Introduction......Page 14
PART I: Bringing culture into the law......Page 28
1 Defending culture: The cultural defense and the law’s theory of culture......Page 30
2 Leave it to the experts? The anthropologist as expert witness......Page 70
3 What’s it like? Native Americans and the ambivalence of legal metaphors......Page 107
PART II: Nature and the family......Page 130
4 Should we just abolish marriage? The uses of anthropology in law and policy......Page 132
5 What’s wrong with incest? Perception and theory in a shifting legal environment......Page 154
6 Natural law or law naturalized? Nature v. culture in the U.S. Supreme Court......Page 172
PART III: Reaching out......Page 208
7 Medicalizing the law: The debate over male circumcision......Page 210
8 The incorporation of custom: The case of the flashing headlights......Page 225
9 Is there a place for community? The Amish and the American romance of community......Page 240
Conclusion: “Secreted in the interstices”......Page 260
Index......Page 266
