This book provides a comprehensive examination of the subject of cultural expertise, addressing its theoretical developments, ethical debates, regulatory frameworks, and practices.

Elaborating the theory and practice of cultural expertise as it crosscuts legal systems and disciplinary boundaries, the book offers a thorough understanding of the scope, application, and impact of cultural expertise in various socio-legal contexts. The book offers theoretical and practical tools to those with academic or professional interests in cultural expertise, detailing its scope, application, and impact. Throughout, cultural expertise is positioned as a vital interdisciplinary concept, bridging the gap between theoretical frameworks and practical solutions for complex social problems that transcend jurisdictional boundaries, legal fields, and disciplinary categories.

This book will appeal to academics and students in the areas of the socio-legal studies, international and comparative law, and cultural anthropology, as well as members of the legal professions and policy-makers who engage with the analysis of laws and cultures.

About the Author

Livia Holden is Research Director at the CNRS, University of Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne, France and Senior Research Fellow at the Royal Anthropological Institute of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Reviews

"Rare is the book which not only does justice to the entirety of a field but goes further, to also powerfully enrich and advance it. Cultural Expertise. Theories, Laws, and Practices confirms the power, potency, and actionability of engaged scholarship for the pursuit of real-world justice." Emma Varley, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Brandon, Canada, and Former President of the Canadian Anthropology Society (CASCA).

"Cultural Expertise: Theories, Law, and Practices provides invaluable perspectives into the theoretical and practical dimensions of cultural expertise, offering both profound theoretical insights and practical guidance on the transformative potential of culturally informed legal practice. A must read, a must adopt, a tour de force!" Kamari Maxine Clarke, Distinguished Professor of Transnational Justice and Sociolegal Studies, University of Toronto, Canada.

"By far the most comprehensive account of the theory, regulation, and practice of expert testimony by social scientists in the courts of numerous countries, this book will not only consolidate but stimulate further developments in the field. It is indispensable to attorneys, potential expert witnesses, and those who see in the law an opportunity for deeper cultural analysis." Lawrence Rosen, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, Princeton University and Adjunct Professor of Law Emeritus, Columbia University, USA.

"This work is an excellent overview of an increasingly significant area of anthropological consideration: how can we best become specialists in cultural expertise in today's world? I recommend it most highly." David Shankland, Director of the Royal Anthropological Institute of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

"Cultural Expertise: Theories, Laws, and Practices is a pivotal work that examines the essential role of cultural expertise in global legal systems, with particular attention to the intersection of the local with the global. A foundational resource for those committed to fostering a truly inclusive justice system." Euis Nurlaelawati, Professor of Islamic Family Law, State Islamic University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

"With this extraordinary book, Holden has produced the first broad synthesis of cultural expertise. Using a theoretically inflected historical lens, the work critically explores the contours of cultural expertise along with its remarkably varied, and continuing, legal and political entanglements." Gary Edmond, Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law, Professor of Law, Director of the Program in Expertise, Evidence, and Law, University of New South Wales, Australia.

"This is a vitally important book. Livia Holden has undertaken a monumental task of providing a systematic and comparative analysis of Cultural Experts in different legal systems." ChorSwang Ngin, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, California State University, Los Angeles, USA.

Book Information
ISBN 9781032897141
Author Livia Holden
Format Paperback
Page Count 418
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd