Description: Legal scholars seem to have been until now rather immune to the growing popularity of Slavoj Žižek’s critique of ideology. Even critical legal scholars more readily draw inspiration from the ‘classics’ of postmodernism, such as Foucault, Derrida and Deleuze, whilst a truly Žižekian critique of law still remains among things that are ‘to be done’. Perhaps this is a consequence of the very notion of ideology, which problematises the concept of law, forcing the actors of legal discourse to confront themselves with law’s hidden economic and libidinal motives. Brought to the daylight, legal jouissance no longer gives such pleasure, as when it is hidden.

The aim of the workshop on Law and Ideology is to bring together lawyers, philosophers, cultural theorists, sociologists and representatives of other disciplines to discuss the possibility of applying the critique of ideology in the legal field. Whilst our emphasis is upon a Žižekian critique of ideology, representatives of all other perspectives are welcome, especially those drawing inspiration from the thought of Louis Althusser, Hugh Collins, Duncan Kennedy, Jacques Lacan, Karl Mannheim or Peter Slotertdijk, as well as belonging to such critical currents as Critical Discourse Analysis or Critical Sociology.

Possible topics that speakers are invited to explore include:

law as an instrument of ideology
political economy of law and its critique
ideological interpellation through law
legal apparatus/system as an ideological apparatus
lawyers as cynical subjects of ideology
law as a symptom of society
law within the Lacanian orders of Symbolic, Imaginary and Real
law’s histeria, perversion and psychosis
superstructural character of law
the law/ideology nexus in times of radical socio-economic transformation
critique of ideology as a legal practitioner’s tool.

Submission of abstracts: abstracts of no more that 500 words should be submitted by 15 February 2014 to the functional mailbox: law.ideology@gmail.com Information on acceptance or rejection of abstracts will be communicated by 15 March 2014.

Submission of working papers: Participants will be requested to submit working papers (5.000 – 10.000 words) by 1 May 2014. Working papers will be circulated among participants to enhance discussion during the workshop and enable speakers to exchange views and comments by email before coming to Wrocław.

Submission of final papers: Finalised versions of papers (+/- 10.000 words) will be due on 1 September 2014 and will be published, subject to peer review. Details on publication will be communicated in due time.