Words Laying Down the Law: Translating Arabic Legal Discourse

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Call for Papers
"Words Laying Down the Law: Translating Arabic Legal Discourse"

7-8 October 2019, Aga Khan Centre, London

The Governance Programme at the Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of
Muslim Civilisations (AKU-ISMC) invites papers in the disciplines of legal
anthropology, law and comparative law, legal pragmatics, sociolinguistics and
discourse analysis, politics and translation studies for a two-day conference on
translations of legal discourse in Arabic-speaking contexts.

What is the impact of translation on the diffusion of legal concepts between domains
of discourse? Does the translation of legal terminology modify the perception of the
corresponding legal phenomena in observable and applied ways? How are words
translated from legal discourse into everyday discourse, and does translation happen
in the other direction?

We welcome papers examining translation in the broad senses of mediation,
transposition and modification, where at least one of the languages is Arabic in any
of its varieties and registers, as used in law-making and law-enforcing contexts, or
in popular representations of the law. The papers need not be limited to a specific
time period or geographical region; for instance, we will accept papers of
demonstrable quality that conduct conversation analysis of legal hearings, as well
as intertextual analysis of historical lawbooks, or papers that ethnographically
examine understandings of the law in Arabic-speaking countries, as well as study
the sociology of translation in state offices handling asylum applications from Arab
refugees.

Our goal is to set up a framework for exploring the effects of the moment of
translation on how law is applied and understood in Arabic and/or by Arabic
speakers.

Please send abstracts of 500 words (excluding bibliography) by 31 May 2019
to ismc.governance@aku.edu.

Notifications of acceptance decisions will be sent out by 30 June 2019.
A limited fund to support scholars who do not have access to institutional funding
will be available to cover travel and accommodation costs. Please indicate if you
need this financial support when applying.

Organiser
This conference is organised by AKU-ISMC's Governance Programme. The
Governance Programme’s annual workshops and conferences on a range of themes
explore how Muslim societies develop political systems that promote public
welfare, achieve popular legitimacy and recognise minority rights in a time marked
by heated debates over tradition, religion and modernity.

Confirmed Keynote Speakers
Prof Myriam Salama-Carr, University of Manchester.
Prof Baudouin Dupret, Sciences Po Bordeaux.
Prof Roberta Aluffi, University of Turin.
Dr Neveen Al Saeed, Ain Shams University, Cairo.

Time and Venue
7-8 October 2019
Atrium Conference Room,
Aga Khan Centre,
10 Handyside Street,
London N1C 4DN

Free registration will open on 1 July 2019

Keep in touch here: https://www.aku.edu/events/Pages/event-list.aspx