Politics of Informal Justice (eBook)

Front Cover 1
Comparative Studies 4
Copyright Page 5
Table of Contents 6
List of Contributors 10
Chapter 1. Introduction 12
PART I: NONINDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES 26
Chapter 2. The Social Organization of Mediation in Nonindustrial Societies: Implications for Informal Community Justice in America 28
Introduction 28
Mediation in Small-Scale Societies 32
Characteristics of Mediation in Small-Scale Societies 39
Community Mediation Programs in Contemporary America 44
Conclusions 51
References 53
Chapter 3. In Search of Nyaya Panchayats: The Politics of a Moribund Institution 58
Introduction 58
Historical Background 59
Decentralization and Panchayati Raj 61
Nyaya Panchayats in Bharatpur 63
Ideological and Structural Dimensions of Nyaya Panchayats: Operations 66
Nyaya Panchayats in Action: Caseload, Process, Politics, and Alternative Forums 71
Conclusion: Nyaya Panchayats and the Pattern of Disputing in Rural India 79
Appendix 81
References 85
PART II: THE DRIFT TOWARD FASCISM 90
Chapter 4. Individualistic and Collective Legalization: The Theoiy and Practice of Legal Advice for Workers in Prefascist Germany 92
Toward a Theory of Legalization in Antagonistic Societies 92
The Historical Conditions of Legal Advice in Prefascist Germany 96
The Workers' Offices 99
Public Legal Advice Centers and the Peace of Law Movement 115
Conclusion 128
References 129
Chapter 5. The Politics of Informal Justice: The Japanese Experience, 1922–1942 136
The Impetus toward Conciliation 137
The Critics' Response 149
An Appraisal 151
References 156
Chapter 6. The Discourse of Summary Justice and the Discourse of Popular Justice: An Analysis of Legal Rhetoric in Argentina 160
Introduction 160
Two Models of the Administration of Justice 162
The Model of Popular Justice 165
The Model of Summary Justice: The Argentine Case 171
The Discourses of Summary Justice and Popular Justice 179
Summary Justice: The Arrogance of Discourse 185
Conclusion 187
References 188
PART III: LIBERAL CAPITALISM 192
Chapter 7. The Movement toward Procedural Informalism in North America and Western Europe: A Critical Survey 194
"Making Rights Effective" 197
Conciliation 204
Diversion 209
Constitutionalism and Procedural Informalism 212
Procedural Informalism and the Prospects for Social Change in the Welfare State 213
References 217
PART IV: THE REVOLUTIONARY SITUATION 224
Chapter 8. Institutionalizing Neighborhood Courts: Two Chilean Experiences 226
Introduction 226
Origins of the Neighborhood Courts 228
Operation of the Professional Neighborhood Court 231
The Squatter Settlement Courts 242
Conclusion 254
References 258
Chapter 9. Law and Revolution in Portugal: The Experiences of Popular Justice after the 25th of April 1974 262
Introduction 262
The Experiences of Popular Justice 265
Popular Justice in the Context of the Portuguese Revolution 274
An Evaluation of Popular Justice in the Revolutionary Process 283
Reflections 290
References 291
Chapter 10. A Socialist Legal System in the Making: Mozambique before and after Independence 292
The Colonial Legal System: An Overview 293
Frelimo, The Liberated Zones, and the Birth of an Informal Legal System 301
The Transitional Phase and the Role of the "Dynamizing Groups" in Extending Popular Justice 311
Independence and the Institutionalization of a Formal Legal System 315
Conclusion 331
References 331
About the Authors 336
Subject Index 340