Wednesday 13 March 2013

Welcome to Pop! Goes the Legal


You may not realise it, but the impact of law is all around you. Other than in courtrooms and formal rules, the existence of law is diverse – culturally, visually, relationally. This blog is designed to get to the heart of how we view law in all its forms – that is, to explore how we use and transform ideas about law as a way of understanding our world and animating our expectations. The aim is to bring together people from all walks of life to share ideas, values and responses to the law that is experienced in culture.


In particular, this blog is seeking to explore connections between issues of law and justice and, popular culture. I am keen to discuss and share ideas about the images of law we see in films, tv shows, comic books, news media, literature and social relations; and to make sense of law by drawing upon the stories that are most popular among us. This blog will comment on and critique legal stories of all types – as told by the news media, as portrayed cinematically or on tv; as comically drawn and written; or as told between friends as they discuss current events. It is hoped that through such discussion, we can seek to understand law and justice in more depth.

Please feel free to comment on any issue that pertains to law in popular culture and to share ideas/responses to the law from your perspective – it may be your opinions on the representation of law and justice in True Blood, Dark Knight Rises or the Avengers; or it could be commenting on the injustice you experienced at the hands of your local council. Perhaps you have a criticism of a recent court decision reported in the news, or maybe you want to share your review of Legally Blonde the Musical. Any contributions are warmly welcomed at Pop! Goes the Legal.

Stay tuned for a comment on the particular brand of justice being provided by vigilante superheroes….