In person icon Theoretical Discussions: Rethinking Law, Rights, and Legitimacy

Abstract

This panel explores critical theoretical perspectives on legal reform, human rights, and democratic transitions, offering fresh insights into the evolving landscape of justice and political legitimacy. The first paper examines how are ideas for legal reforms developed, contested, and negotiated in the context of Armenia’s democratic revolution of 2018, revealing how the legal field resists political change even in democratizing contexts. The second paper challenges the dominance of liberal-moral paradigms in human rights discourse, advocating for alternative frameworks rooted in care ethics, relationality thinking, and ecological complexity to better address global justice concerns. The third paper revisits the rule-of-law dilemma in Taiwan's democratic transition, proposing a future-oriented theory of legitimacy that reimagines legal paradigm shifts during political transitions. Together, these papers invite a re-examination of foundational assumptions in legal and political theory, advancing critical dialogues on justice, reform, and legitimacy in the 21st century.

Title	Details
Law and Revolution: Making and Breaking Transitional Justice in Armenia	View Paper Details
Human Rights Beyond Rightness? Exploring Alternatives from Care Ethics, Relationality Thinking and Ecological Complexity	View Paper Details
Revisiting the Rule-Of-Law Dilemma in Democratic Transitions: Toward a Future-Oriented Theory of Legitimacy	View Paper Details