Finding Nomos: Revisiting Legal Anthropology's Critical Empirical Grounds

This workshop aims to reclaim the empirical commitments inherent in ethnographic studies of law while commemorating the enduring impact of the 1965 Ethnography of Law Symposium initiated by Professor Laura Nader. Central to the inquiry will be the celebration of Prof. Nader's call to redirect focus from abstract debates to empirical investigation, still resonant today. Through these discussions, the workshop seeks to reconsider the influence of ethnographic approaches to law on anthropology and legal studies and to map out future paths for legal anthropology. The workshop, following the 1965 symposium, will consist of two parts, each emphasizing distinct aspects of legal anthropology's theoretical contributions. The first part, at UC Irvine (California, USA), will explore the influence of ethnographic studies of law on anthropology, focusing on the retrieval of empiricism amidst contemporary challenges to the discipline. The second part, at the Oñati Institute for the Sociology of Law  (Spain, Europe), will highlight the influence of the anthropology of law on legal studies, bridging the gap between idealistic and sociologizing approaches through attention to legal ideology. Bringing together scholars from the United States and Europe, the workshop aspires to chart a path forward for anthropology's role in understanding legal phenomena. In honoring Prof. Nader's legacy, it will transcend disciplinary boundaries, bridging theory and practice to illuminate the dynamic interplay between law and society.