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  • © 2007

Interpretation, Law and the Construction of Meaning

Collected Papers on Legal Interpretation in Theory, Adjudication and Political Practice

  • Challenges traditional approaches to legal interpretation
  • Combines insights from analytical legal theory with legal semiotics
  • Focuses on the application of law in a wide variety of contexts, including international politics and diplomatic practice

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Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-XIV
  2. Legal Theory

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. Law as Fact, Law as Fiction

      • Hanneke Van Schooten
      Pages 3-20
    3. Lexical Indeterminacy

      • Ross Charnock
      Pages 21-47
    4. Topical Jurisprudence

      • Anita Soboleva
      Pages 49-63
  3. Judicial Reasoning

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 83-83
    2. Taking Facts Seriously

      • Maarten Henket
      Pages 109-120
  4. Application of Law in Political Practice

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 139-139
    2. The Inclusive/Exclusive Nation

      • Farid Samir Benavides Vanegas
      Pages 141-168
    3. Landmarks for Aboriginal Law in Australia

      • Agnes T.M. Schreiner
      Pages 195-204
  5. Back Matter

    Pages 205-205

About this book

Legal semiotics emphasizes the contingency and fluidity of legal concepts and stresses the existence of overlapping, competing and coexisting legal discourses. In response to new problems, changing power structures, changing societal norms and new faces of injustice established doctrines are reconsidered, reformulated and partly replaced by competing doctrines and hypotheses. Given the relative indeterminacy of law, it is no surprise that the problem of interpretation has always been one of the focal points of attention for legal semiotics. Who has the power to define words and concepts? Who can successfully assume the power to speak on behalf of the legal community? Which methods are used to justify the power to define?

This book discusses the questions mentioned above from three, related perspectives:

-Legal theory (Part I).
-Judicial reasoning (Part II).
-Application of law in politics and diplomatic practice (Part III).

Reviews

"Combining theoretical inspiration with a keen interest in case law, this volume will appeal to scholars and students of legal theory, jurisprudence, legal anthropology, postcolonial studies, indeed to anyone who’s interested in problems of interpretation in legal and political theory and practice. It should also come in very handy in the classroom." Ronnie Lippens, Professor of Criminology, Keele University

Authors and Affiliations

  • Université du Littoral Côte d’Opale, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France

    Anne Wagner

  • Institute of Public International Law, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Wouter Werner

  • Griffith University, Australia

    Deborah Cao

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Interpretation, Law and the Construction of Meaning

  • Book Subtitle: Collected Papers on Legal Interpretation in Theory, Adjudication and Political Practice

  • Authors: Anne Wagner, Wouter Werner, Deborah Cao

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-5320-7

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, Law and Criminology (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2007

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4020-5319-1Published: 23 November 2006

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-90-481-7338-9Published: 19 October 2010

  • eBook ISBN: 978-1-4020-5320-7Published: 16 May 2007

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XIV, 219

  • Topics: Fundamentals of Law, Philosophy of Law, Philosophy of Language

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access