Popularly, we tend to think of formalized/institutionalized laws – i.e., laws that have been codified and written down – as the only regulations that influence our behavior. However, such a notion privileges (particular Euro-American orientations towards) the written word and neglects that there are many different kinds of processes and forces that regulate our actions. As such, how can we conceptualize “customs”/”culture” as “law”? Are cultural rules necessarily “informal” or only “unofficial”? Do cultural rules become codified, or do institutionalized laws become imbued in our culture? Or is this a back and forth process?
Required texts:
“The Economy and Social Norms” in Economy and Society by Weber
“Law as Culture” in Cultural Analysis, Cultural Studies, and the Law by Mezey
