On the afternoon of April 10, 2023, the Center for West Asian and North African Studies at the Institute for International and Area Studies (IIAS) of Tsinghua University hosted the fourth lecture of the “Western Asian and North African Studies from a Multidisciplinary Perspective” series for the 2022-2023 spring semester both online and offline. Themed “West Asian and North African Studies from the Perspective of Legal Anthropology,” this lecture was delivered by Wang Weichen, Vice Dean and Associate Professor of the School of Law at Shanghai International Studies University, and presided over by Ding Chenxi, Assistant Professor at the IIAS. Over 160 scholars and students from various universities and those interested in the topic attended the lecture.

At the beginning of the lecture, Dr. Wang Weichen gave a specific definition of “the perspective of legal anthropology,” saying that the core of the term is “method” rather than the scope or object of research, which is specifically embodied in the method of participant observation, methodological holism, and the way of presentation represented by ethnography.

Dr. Wang Weichen reviewed the history of West Asian and North African studies from the perspective of legal anthropology in the Western academic community (mainly Britain and the United States), which is roughly divided into four stages. The first stage was marked by the Western research paradigm led by “government anthropologists” based on the need for indirect rule during the colonial period. The second stage was a transitional period centered around Laura Nader, who prompted a paradigm shift in the research approach of legal anthropology from focusing on “rules” to focusing on “dispute resolution.” Dr. Wang also elaborated on the research findings of John Rothenberger, June Starr and Cathie J. Witty. The third stage featured the legal culture research paradigm led by Lawrence Rosen, a disciple of Clifford Geertz. The fourth stage featured pluralistic paradigm represented by Baudouin Dupre, which emphasized the day-to-day, historical and transnational dimensions of legal anthropology.

Then, based on statistics, Dr. Wang Weichen examined the characteristics of research approaches of legal anthropology in West Asia and North Africa. At the end of the lecture, he cited a specific case – the “lost sheep” from Cathie J. Witty’s Mediation and Society: Conflict Management in Lebanon to illustrate how the research paradigms of legal anthropology can provide inspiration for West Asian and North African studies.

During the Q&A session, Lu Nan, Associate Professor of School of Law, Tsinghua University, made a comment about the lecture. Dr. Wang Weichen had a lively exchange with the audience and answered a number of questions raised by them.

Wang Weichen is Vice Dean and Associate Professor of the School of Law at Shanghai International Studies University, and obtained his PhD in law from East China University of Political Science and Law. His research interests include legal anthropology and comparative legal culture. He is author of the book The Dilemma in Legal Anthropology and co-author (co-translator) of several books including The Origins of Legal Civilization and The Oxford Handbook of the History of International Law. He has published over 50 papers and translations in Ethno-National Studies, Jurists Review, Journal of Minzu University of China and so forth.