Semiotics And Legal Theory

Semiotics and Legal Theory is an exercise in exposition, comparison, criticism, and construction. Jackson takes two very different intellectual traditions - structuralist semiotics as represented by A.J. Greimas and modern (mainly positivist) legal theory as represented by Hart, MacCormick, Dworkin, and Kelsen—and by juxtaposing them seeks to clarify and assess their respective semiotic presuppositions, in order to lay some foundations for a semiotically sensitive theory of law. This book is designed for both jurists and semioticians. To facilitate access across the disciplinary divide, Jackson provides an abstract at the head of each chapter, which serves as both a summary and a conclusion to each section.