Out of Place: Fieldwork and Positionality in Law and Society

by Lynette J. Chua (Editor), Mark Fathi Massoud (Editor)

Overview

Out of Place tells a new history of the field of law and society through the experiences and fieldwork of successful writers from populations that academia has historically marginalized. Encouraging collective and transparent self-reflection on positionality, the volume features scholars from around the world who share how their out-of-place positionalities influenced their research questions, data collection, analysis, and writing in law and society. From China to Colombia, India to Indonesia, Singapore to South Africa, and the United Kingdom to the United States, these experts record how they conducted their fieldwork, how their privileges and disadvantages impacted their training and research, and what they learned about the law in the process. As the global field of law and society becomes more diverse and an interest in identity grows, Out of Place is a call to embrace the power of positionality. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781009338226
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	02/13/2025
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Law and Society
Pages:	239
Product dimensions:	5.94(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.51(d)

About the Author

Lynette J. Chua is Professor of Law at National University of Singapore and Head of Studies for the Law-Liberal Arts Double-Degree Programme at Yale-NUS College. She is the author of three books, The Politics of Rights and Southeast Asia (2002), The Politics of Love in Myanmar (2018), and Mobilizing Gay Singapore (2014). She has earned awards in law and society, sociology, and Asian studies. Chua is also the co-editor of The Asian Law & Society Reader and past president (2022-2023) of the Asian Law & Society Association.

Mark Fathi Massoud is Professor of Politics and Director of Legal Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford Faculty of Law. Massoud is the author of two books, Law's Fragile State (2014) and Shari'a, Inshallah (2021). He has earned awards in law and society, political science, sociology, religious studies, and Middle East studies. The recipient of Carnegie, Guggenheim, and Mellon Foundation fellowships, Massoud gave the Evans-Pritchard Lectures at All Souls College, Oxford, and he is a Berlin Prize fellow of the American Academy in Berlin.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: the power of positionality Mark Fathi Massoud; 2. Research as accompaniment: reflections on objectivity, ethics, and emotions Leisy J. Abrego; 3. Pretty and young in places where people get killed in broad daylight Sindiso Mnisi Weeks; 4. Out of place studying China's sex industry Margaret L. Boittin; 5. Feeling at home outside: embracing out-of-placeness in the study of law and resistance Lynette J. Chua; 6. Out of place in an Indian court: notes on researching rape in a district court in gujarat (1996-1998) Pratiksha Baxi; 7. At odds with everything around me: vulnerability politics and its (out of) place in the socio-legal academy Swethaa S. Ballakrishnen; 8. Trigueño International law: on (most of) the world being (always, somehow) out of place Luis Eslava; 9. Becoming a familiar outsider: multi-sited and multi-temporal research in plural legal contexts Keebet von Benda-Beckmann.

Editorial Reviews

‘Out of Place brings together nine of law and society’s most intriguing thinkers to discuss the influence of marginality, privilege, and social position on their work. The volume is a rich and compelling set of unblinking conversations about positionality’s complex and evolving role in sociolegal research—a truly field-shaping book.’ Kathryne Young, George Washington University

‘Out of Place is a groundbreaking book that centers on the experiences of marginalized scholars, primarily from the global South, navigating interdisciplinary law and society research. This insightful work shares valuable theoretical perspectives and firsthand fieldwork experiences, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging positionality in sociolegal studies. It is essential reading for academics striving to comprehend the diverse and intricate dynamics of empirical legal research in a rapidly evolving world.’ Sida Liu, University of Hong Kong

‘Out of Place is a timely collection by a group of innovative and traditionally marginalized scholars, who pursue a thoughtful exploration of the process of knowledge production in law and society scholarship. Their presentation and contextualization of positionality in fieldwork, through the process of bold theoretical excavation, layer by layer, is refreshing.’ Penelope Andrews, New York Law School

‘During my time in the academy, I have felt ‘out of place’ as a legal ethnographer and scholar of color on countless occasions. Then, along comes the edited volume I never knew I craved. Kudos to the editors and authors on such an insightful and important work.’ Jeffrey Omari, Gonzaga University

‘Out of Place is an innovative collection of essays that illustrates both the ubiquity, and the asymmetric impacts, of law in our lives. Insisting upon how a scholar’s revelation of their positionality can help to yield singular insights about law and power, Chua, Massoud, and their collaborators have authored an important entry in the law and society tradition. The essays that make up the collection are consistently provocative and thoroughly readable. Out of Place is a highly recommended read!’ Jeffery Dudas, University of Connecticut

From the Publisher