J 2024

Legal Concepts as Social Representations

SMEJKALOVÁ, Terezie

Basic information

Original name

Legal Concepts as Social Representations

Authors

SMEJKALOVÁ, Terezie (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution)

Edition

International Journal for the Semiotics of Law-Revue Internationale de Semiotique Juridique, Netherlands, Springer, 2024, 0952-8059

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Článek v odborném periodiku

Field of Study

50501 Law

Country of publisher

Netherlands

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

References:

Impact factor

Impact factor: 0.800 in 2022

Organization unit

Faculty of Law

UT WoS

001138436900001

Keywords in English

Concept; Legal concept ; Social representation; Meaning-making; Social dimension of meaning; Mental representation; Legal language

Tags

Tags

International impact, Reviewed
Změněno: 8/2/2024 10:16, Mgr. Petra Georgala

Abstract

V originále

The nature of concepts is a subject of study of various disciplines, from philosophy to cognitive sciences, leading to fragmented understandings and conceptual dissociations. Legal concepts have been studied in an interdisciplinary manner across all these disciplines, suffering from similar fragmentation. Recently, the interdisciplinary crossroads between law and cognitive sciences have brought forward the notion of legal concepts as mental representations. However, this approach largely overlooks the systemic, historical, and societal elements essential to comprehending legal concepts. The aim of this paper is to advocate for the Social Representations Theory as a useful framework that bridges cognitive and socio-cultural dimensions of meaning and can provide a holistic approach to understanding legal concepts. This paper unfolds in three sections. The first section contextualizes the social representations approach within the law and language framework, emphasizing the societal influences on thought and meaning. The second section explains the notion of social representations, building upon Serge Moscovici’s definitions and Ivana Marková’s arguments for the necessity of this approach to accommodate the social dimension of meaning. The third and last section underscores the claim that legal concepts are, in essence, social representations, advocating for the usefulness of this approach in legal scholarship, both paradigmatically and methodologically, consequently arguing for an inclusion for a stronger focus on the social dimension of legal meaning.

Links

GA20-10171S, research and development project
Name: Využití metod sociální reprezentace v analýze právních konceptů
Investor: Czech Science Foundation