Docile suffragettes? Resistance to police photography and the possibility of object–subject transformation

This paper provides a revisionist account of the authority and power of the criminal mugshot. Dominant theories in the field have tended to focus on the ways in which mugshots have been used as a way of disciplining criminal bodies and rendering them docile. It is argued here that additional emphasis could usefully be placed on stories of resistance in which the monological production site of the prison or police station transforms into a dialogical site, in which the objects of police photography can acquire agency. These issues are explored with particular reference to a set of photographs of English suffragettes acquired by the police for surveillance purposes. The suffragette’s refusal to comply with requests to have their photographs taken is used as a case study through which to examine the ways in which conventions about the form of the mugshot can be subverted, ideas about the types of people who were the object/subject of mugshots disrupted and the assumption of documentary neutrality undermined

Revolting consumers: a revisionist account of the 1925 ban on photography in English and Welsh courts and its implications for debate about who is able to produce, manage and consume images of the trial

This article offers a revisionist history of the banning of photography in English and Welsh courts in 1925 and explores the contention that a complete rationale for the ban has never been adequately articulated. While existing accounts of the ban have placed emphasis on the outrage caused by press coverage of a handful of sensational murder trials, this article offers the first comprehensive analysis of photographs of trial scenes in the decades leading up to the ban. In doing so it argues that the exposure of the legal system to scrutiny by the press and public, made possible by new technologies and reporting practices, was much more pervasive than has previously been suggested. It also contends that although parliamentarians claimed that the purpose of the ban was to protect vulnerable members of the public, it actually did a much better job of preserving the interests of the legal, political and social elite, including judges, against a backdrop of fears about an increasingly disrespectful populace. More particularly it is suggested that the ban allowed the state to take back its monopoly over the production, management and consumption of images of judges and other key actors in the courtroom in an effort to re-impose social order and retain the mystery of law

Re-visiting the concept of voice: expression of grievances across the English and Welsh National Health Service

This article re-examines the notion of voice in law and society scholarship which has focused on journeys to complaints and claims. Using the English National Health Service as a case study, it argues that looking at the articulation of grievances through a large number of channels across a large service sector offers new opportunities to examine a range of different political logics underpinning voicing mechanisms. Two key arguments emerge. Firstly, it becomes clear that expressions of dissatisfaction can be collected for a variety of purposes other than dispute resolution or conflict management. Formal grievance procedures, rendered legitimate by concepts of rights and due process, not only interact with but compete with other ways of serving the collective good. The second key finding is that when looked at in isolation, the concept of voice can usefully be studied as a discrete concept rather than just a vital component of claiming

Limiting law: art in the street and street in the art

Conventional legal responses to street art have tended to characterize it as a problem that is best dealt with through criminal law sanctions. This is not necessarily a problem for street artists who have been keen to situate understandings of their work outside of the law. But attitudes are changing. Street art is increasingly seen as having commercial value, enhancing the cityscape, creating new local art markets, attracting tourists, and contributing to the gentrification of an area with the result that conventional ways of conceiving of street art have begun to pose new challenges to concepts of crime and property. Drawing on an observational study in London, this article proposes a new theorization of the legal problems posed by street art that pays close attention to the sensual experience of encountering it in the city and to street art as performance rather than artefact

LSE research festival exhibitor interviews: Linda Mulcahy

Continuing our series of interviews with past participants in LSE Research Festival, Professor Linda Mulcahy describes the process of submitting her short film about street art in Shoreditch to last year’s exhibition. A professor of law and director of LSE’s ESRC Doctoral Training Centre, Linda’s wider work deals with dispute resolution and mediation, but it was her study of street art that encouraged her to explore visual communication methods

Perspectives et place des pères dans les services de protection de l’enfance et de la jeunesse

Parmi les nouveaux courants de recherche et les pratiques émergentes en travail social auprès des familles, se retrouve la question de la place des pères dans les familles et dans les interventions. Par ailleurs, cette reconceptualisation de la paternité, tant sur le plan théorique que pratique, s’accompagne de tensions entre différentes idéologies. Notamment, selon que l’on adhère à une définition plutôt conservatrice, féministe ou liée aux droits des pères, ces derniers sont appelés à jouer des rôles forts différents auprès des mères et des enfants. La façon dont les travailleurs sociaux se situent face à ces tendances induira différentes façons d’accompagner les familles et les pères. Il s’avère donc pertinent d’étudier les courants de pensée présents dans ce champ de façon, à savoir la place qu’ils réservent aux besoins des pères. Ultimement, cette réflexion pourrait susciter le développement de nouvelles approches d’intervention en travail social auprès des pères. Cette question est abordée dans cet article sous l’angle des services de protection de l’enfance et de la jeunesse

Where are the numbers? Challenging the barriers to quantitative socio-legal scholarship in the UK

UK legal scholars rarely adopt a quantitative approach to address socio-legal questions. Reasons for this are typically grounded in the nature of general education, legal education, and research training. In this paper, we argue that an intellectual debate on capacity building needs to consider the conditions which have limited the production of quantitative work both within and beyond our discipline. This paper draws on an empirical analysis of published socio-legal papers to understand the nature of quantitative scholarship and evidence a burgeoning of work which reflects a flexible approach to data collection and analysis. Moving beyond the tribalism often associated with the qualitative-quantitative divide, we draw attention to the shift away from understandings of quantitative work as hypothesis testing to those that are accepting of the importance of critical reflection and exploration of nuance. It is hoped that the paper will prompt further discussion about capacity building to develop and sustain good quality quantitative socio-legal scholarship in the UK

Understanding the Impact of Historical Policy Legacies on Nutrition Policy Space:Economic Policy Agendas and Current Food Policy Paradigms in Ghana

Background The global food system is not delivering affordable, healthy, diverse diets, which are needed to address malnutrition in all its forms for sustainable development. This will require policy change across the economic sectors that govern food systems, including agriculture, trade, finance, commerce and industry – a goal that has been beset by political challenges. These sectors have been strongly influenced by entrenched policy agendas and paradigms supported by influential global actors such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). Methods This study draws on the concept of path dependency to examine how historical economic policy agendas and paradigms have influenced current food and nutrition policy and politics in Ghana. Qualitative data were collected through interviews with 29 relevant policy actors, and documentary data were collected from current policies, academic and grey literature, historical budget statements and World Bank Group Archives (1950-present). Results Despite increased political priority for nutrition in Ghana, its integration into food policy remains limited. Food policy agendas are strongly focused on production, employment and economic returns, and existing market-based incentives do not support a nutrition-sensitive food supply. This policy focus appears to be rooted in a liberal economic approach to food policy arising from structural adjustment in the 1980s and trade liberalization in the 1990s, combined with historical experience of ‘failure’ of food policy intervention and an entrenched narrowly economic conception of food security. Conclusion This study suggests that attention to policy paradigms, in addition to specific points of policy change, will be essential for improving the outcomes of food systems for nutrition. An historical perspective can provide food and health policy-makers with insights to foster the revisioning of food policy to address multiple national policy objectives, including nutrition