[Commlist] CfP Workshop "Media Representations of Law and Justice: Middle Eastern Perspective"

Call for Papers
*International Workshop ‘Media Representations of Law and Justice: 
Middle Eastern Perspectives’*
12−13 March 2020
Leipzig, Germany
Deadline: 8 January 2020
The Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA) in 
cooperation with the Institute of Oriental Studies, University of 
Leipzig is pleased to announce the Call for Papers for the international 
and interdisciplinary Workshop ‘Media Representations of Law and 
Justice: Middle Eastern Perspectives’ in Germany at the Institute of 
Oriental Studies, University of Leipzig, 12−13 March 2020.
Law and/in popular culture has been an emerging field of research (at 
least) since the 1980s. Its initial prominence was primarily limited to 
North America – the main hub of popular legal culture which, through 
various kinds of movies and television shows, impinged on what people 
generally believe about law and legal institutions. By now, the 
interrelation of law and popular culture has made its way into European 
legal academia. In addition, transnational comparative studies on how 
law and justice are portrayed in movies and fictional television dramas 
have been conducted, providing additional insight for both scholars of 
law and media studies.
At the same time, the law and/in popular culture discourse has been 
largely restricted to Europe and North America. Research usually centers 
on ‘Western’ legal culture and its cinematic/televised representations. 
Oftentimes, non-‘Western’ legal traditions and systems are only 
portrayed as supposed counter-examples to the liberal state under the 
rule of law that is promoted in dominant popular culture.
The AGYA workshop on ‘Media Representations of Law and Justice: Middle 
Eastern Perspectives’ moves away from this established regional focus by 
including Middle Eastern legal regimes and their respective local media 
depictions. We particularly invite contributions on Arabic-language 
cinematic and television formats (including those on more recent 
streaming services and social media sites) screening legal system in 
either contemporary or historical perspective. We also welcome papers on 
legal dramas from neighboring countries in the ‘Greater Middle East’, as 
well as comparative studies to allow for broader transnational 
perspectives. By enabling a conversation not only between different 
regional sites of media production, but also among various disciplines, 
a range of analytical methods will be tested and employed to analyze the 
means and ends to which a legal system is portrayed in popular formats.
Topics, themes, and issues to be explored include, but are not confined 
to the following:
·Cultural representations of domestic legal systems and legal traditions 
in contemporary courtroom dramas;
·The political framework in which legal dramas are produced and its 
impact on both content and format;
·Audiences, viewers, and their changing perceptions of the law;
·The impact of satellite TV and online streaming services on legal 
dramas, their production, and content;
·Plots, characters, and sociopolitical critique in legal dramas.
The workshop is organized by AGYA member Lena-Maria Möller (Institute of 
Oriental Studies, University of Leipzig/Max Planck Institute for 
Comparative and International Private Law, Hamburg) and AGYA alumna 
Hanan Badr (Institute for Media and Communication Studies, Freie 
Universität Berlin). Travel costs and accommodation for confirmed 
speakers will be covered by AGYA. Funding is still subject to approval.

Those interested in presenting papers are invited to send a tentative 
title, an abstract of around 300-500 words, and a short biography to:
*Lena-Maria Möller ((moeller /at/ mpipriv.de)*) by *8 January 2020*.
Notifications of acceptance will be announced by *15 January 2020 *and 
*draft papers will be due by 15 February 2020*. The workshop language 
will be English. The organizers aim to publish the papers either as an 
edited volume or as a special issue of an academic journal.

*About AGYA*
The Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA) is based 
at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW) and 
at the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT) in Egypt. It 
was established in 2013 and is the first bilateral young academy 
worldwide. AGYA promotes research cooperation among outstanding 
early-career researchers from all disciplines who are affiliated with a 
research institution in Germany or in any Arab country. The academy 
supports the innovative projects of its members in various fields of 
research as well as in science policy and education. Currently, 50 
members – in equal number Arab and German scholars – realize joint 
projects and initiatives. AGYA is funded by the German Federal Ministry 
of Education and Research (BMBF) and various Arab cooperation partners.
For more information about AGYA and the Institute of Oriental Studies, 
University of Leipzig please visit:
www.agya.info
www.orient.uni-leipzig.de

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