Law at the Edge of the World: Legal Futures in the Age of Crisis

Abstract (English)

International law has long been framed as a universal system of justice, yet in practice, it remains rigid, contested, and disconnected from those most impacted by environmental destruction, displacement, and mass atrocities (Goodale, 2017; Kotzé & Kim, 2019). Rooted in colonial legal traditions and state sovereignty, international legal frameworks struggle to address systemic harm, from deforestation and climate displacement to the ongoing dispossession of Indigenous lands (Mai, 2024). Even established legal categories such as genocide or crimes against humanity remain narrow in scope, limiting accountability for corporate-driven violence and state complicity in environmental harm. The law’s failure to engage non-state actors, transnational governance gaps, and the intersection of human and environmental rights leaves affected communities vulnerable to legal inaction.

In response, transnational legal activism is emerging as a tool to challenge these limitations and reimagine legal accountability. From climate litigation and Indigenous-led legal actions to Rights of Nature laws, legal activists and communities are pushing courts and institutions to expand the recognition of harm and responsibility (Dezalay & Garth, 2011). Strategic litigation, legal mobilization, and non-state legal frameworks are shifting how law is defined and applied across borders, challenging both the limits of legal categories and the entrenched governance structures that prioritize economic growth over social and ecological justice.

However, these interventions remain contested—to what extent can legal activism reshape the very boundaries of law itself? While courts increasingly engage with environmental and human rights-based claims, legal battles often expose deep tensions between legal innovation and systemic resistance to change. Indigenous governance, local legal traditions, and alternative justice frameworks offer powerful challenges to these dominant legal models, yet they remain marginalized within mainstream legal systems.

At the same time, legal anthropology and ethnography play a crucial role in both documenting and shaping these legal struggles. Legal anthropology does not simply observe legal activism—it actively informs legal debates, governance structures, and policy decisions (Comaroff & Comaroff, 2006). Ethnographic research provides insight into how legal activists, Indigenous leaders, and social movements reinterpret legal norms, challenge dominant categories, and construct alternative legal imaginaries.

This panel critically examines how transnational legal activism, legal anthropology, and ethnographic research intersect to reshape law and governance. We invite papers that explore:

The limits of international law in addressing environmental destruction, land dispossession, and mass violence.
How legal activists, Indigenous communities, and NGOs collaborate across borders to challenge state and corporate legal power.
The rise of alternative legal frameworks, including Indigenous legal systems, Rights of Nature, and community-based justice.
How corporate actors shape, evade, or manipulate legal systems to avoid responsibility.
How legal anthropology and ethnography contribute to legal and political transformations.

We welcome papers that introduce new case studies, conceptual innovations, and interdisciplinary perspectives.