School of Law and Social JusticeSchool of Law and Social JusticeA Feminist Politics of Radical Hope in a Time of OppressionDescriptionA joint conference from the LEX, VAWGRN, FRAN, and CSEL research networks. A feminist politics of radical hope in a time of oppression, is a two-day joint conference from: The LEX Network, Violence Against Women and Girls Research Network (VAWGRN), Feminist Legal Research and Action Network (FRAN), and the Centre for the Study of Emotion and Law (CSEL). Date: 6 - 7 November 2025 Location: School of Law and Social Justice Building, University of Liverpool ‘Hope is central to marginal politics which speak of desires for equality or simply for a better life. Feminism might be characterised as a politics of hope, a movement underpinned by a utopian drive for equality’(Coleman & Ferreday, 2010). Whilst hope is fundamental to making change towards transformative futures rooted in justice, equality and solidarity for all, the question remains: How do we hold onto hope in a world of increasing anti-feminist politics and oppression? How can we sustain hope and resilience in the feminist fight for justice and resistance to oppression? This conference explores the transformative power of feminist politics of radical hope, and how to embrace vision and action as we sustain hope both as individuals, researchers and as a collective. This year we are delighted to welcome Professor Maggie O'Neill and Professor Aisha Gill as keynote speakers.
The Politics of Law and Emotions: Addressing Overlooked Emotions in Legal Fields (SLSA funded)DescriptionSchool of Law and Social Justice Event Space Law and Emotion is an important area of scholarship across a wide range of disciplines. Recent decades have seen Law and Emotion research expand into socio-legal theory, philosophy, psychology and history, with critical evaluative discussions on the relationship between certain emotions and the legal fields in which they are present. Still, one issue in Law and Emotion theory is that there is often a focus on emotions that may be more apparent in law, for example, anger in criminal trials. This seminar focuses on neglected emotions in Law and Emotion theory, with a range of presentations in various areas of law and their relationship with emotions. This day-long event hosts talks discussing the role of emotions in legal decision-making, such as regret in abortion law, coercion in divorce law and emotions in property law disputes. There will be talks on using emotion in law, for example, in physician-assisted dying, human rights law and legal education. The event will conclude with a keynote presentation from Centennial Professor of Law Emeritus, Susan Bandes on empathy in legal decision-making. This workshop aims to bring Law and Emotion theory into discussion with other disciplines, extend the field to discuss overlooked emotions and encourage further use of the theory in disciplines that may not have previously considered it in significance.
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