If Lived Experience Could Speak: A Method for Repairing Epistemic Violence in Law & The Legal Academy

Seminar
This event has now finished.
  • Date and time: Friday 27 September 2024, 4.30pm to 6pm
  • Location: In-person only
    D/N/056 Lecture Theatre, Derwent College, Campus West, University of York (Map)
  • Admission: Free admission, booking not required

Event details

On Friday 27 September, the Centre for Applied Human Rights (CAHR) will host Professor Rachel López, who will present her latest paper, If Lived Experience Could Speak: A Method for Repairing Epistemic Violence in Law & The Legal Academy.

Rachel López, who serves as the James E. Beasley Professor of Law at Temple University, is a leading advocate for integrating lived experience into legal scholarship. Her innovative approach, known as Participatory Law Scholarship (PLS), collaborates with individuals who have deep, lived insights into the injustices perpetuated by the legal system, yet lack formal legal training.

In her presentation, López will discuss the profound implications of PLS through the lens of her collaborative work with Terrell Carter, a co-author who was previously incarcerated. Their award-winning article, Redeeming Justice, not only contributed to Carter’s liberation but also exemplifies the transformative power of integrating experiential knowledge into legal theory.

López’s talk will explore how participatory methods can repair the epistemic harm inflicted by traditional legal academia, which often marginalises those directly affected by the law. By centring lived experiences as a source of legal expertise, PLS challenges the conventional boundaries of legal scholarship and promotes a more inclusive and equitable approach to understanding and reforming the law.

This event offers a unique opportunity for the University of York’s students and academics to engage with cutting-edge ideas that aim to democratise legal knowledge production and validate alternative ways of knowing and interpreting the law.