Patrícia Branco (Coimbra, Bonn): Interrogating an Allegory: Justitia. On women and the law
Abstract
The imagery of justice is (and always has been) a common and popular feature of legal culture in many parts of the world and it can be found everywhere, from courthouses to cartoons. However, the prominent image that has affected us most is that of Lady Justice, a white woman, sometimes appearing with her eyes veiled and other times unveiled, at times bearing scales and a sword in her hands.
But, after all, who is this woman? I intend in this presentation, with the use of some of the materials collected during fieldwork on courthouse architecture in Portugal, to question the allegory of Lady Justice, or Justitia, discussing some of her attributes and features in the 21st century, particularly the behaviors and expectations that are required and imposed upon women by the Law (inside and outside the legal profession), placing the Portuguese reality in a wider context.
Dr. Patrícia Branco
Curriculum Vitae
Die Rechtssoziologin Patrícia Branco studierte an der European Academy of Legal Theory in Brüssel und an der Rechtswissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Coimbra, Portugal, wo sie 2013 mit einer Arbeit zu „Courthouses as spaces of recognition, functionality and access to justice – the case study of family courts in Portugal“ promoviert wurde. Sie war an zahlreichen Forschungsprojekten beteiligt und ist zurzeit wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin am Centro de Estudos Sociais (CES) an der Universität Coimbra sowie Mitglied der Forschungsgruppe DECIDe. Ihre Forschungsinteressen liegen u.a. in der Rechtssoziologie sowie in der Raum- und Architektursoziologie. Seit Januar 2015 ist Patrícia Branco Fellow am Käte Hamburger Kolleg „Recht als Kultur“, wo sie an ihrem Forschungsprojekt “Into, from and back again: A discussion on courthouse architecture, the image of justice and literature” arbeitet.
