Cambridge Socio-Legal Group Seminar: 'Archival Research as Socio-Legal Research'

Speaker: David Feldman
Location: 12.30-1.45pm, G11, Faculty of Law

In the last few years I have conducted archival research in connection with four projects: the background to Entick v. Carrington (1765); the preparation and publication of A. V. Dicey’s Lectures Introductory to the Study of the Law of the Constitution (1884-85 and subsequent editions); the politics, process and law of administering the Egypt Fund in the Foreign Compensation Commission, litigating Anisminic, and the legislative sequel (1956-69); and the attempt of the Secretary of the Cabinet and other public servants to control the publication of Richard Crossman’s diaries (1974-75). Working with letters, official files, case files and other documents has prompted me to think about the extent to which such research would be regarded as ‘socio-legal’, the methods which can be applied to analysing the sources, and the implications which one can draw from them.

Any questions please email Amy Ludlow (acl46@cam.ac.uk).