Legitimacy in Crisis

Lawrence Rosen is the William N. Cromwell Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Princeton University, U.S.A, and Adjunct Professor of Law Emeritus at Columbia Law School, U.S.A. As an anthropologist, he has worked on Arab social life and Islamic law; as a legal scholar, he has worked on the rights of indigenous peoples and American socio-legal issues. He is a member of the bar of the State of North Carolina and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Introduction

Part I. Legitimacy Based on Personhood

1 ‘Borked’: Judicial Temperament and the Quest for Certainty

2 Sin and Struggle: Bill Clinton and the Abuse of Power

3 The Prophets that Failed

4 The Prophet that Prevailed

5 Mistaken Legitimacy: Are American Politics Really ‘Tribal’?

Part II. Legitimacy Based on Knowledge

6 By Whose Authority? The Case of the Public Nuisance

7 Blasphemy in the Classroom

8 Expertise as a Warrant for Legitimacy

9 ‘My Culture Made Me Do It’: Free Will and the Expert Witness’ Dilemma

10 Continuing the Conversation: Creationism and the Politics of Culture

Conclusion: Rethinking Legitimacy