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Law's Fragile State: Colonial, Authoritarian, and Humanitarian Legacies in Sudan (Cambridge Studies in Law and Society) Illustrated Edition, Kindle Edition

by Mark Fathi Massoud (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 8 ratings
See all formats and editions
How do a legal order and the rule of law develop in a war-torn state? Using his field research in Sudan, the author uncovers how colonial administrators, postcolonial governments and international aid agencies have used legal tools and resources to promote stability and their own visions of the rule of law amid political violence and war in Sudan. Tracing the dramatic development of three forms of legal politics - colonial, authoritarian and humanitarian - this book contributes to a growing body of scholarship on law in authoritarian regimes and on human rights and legal empowerment programs in the Global South. Refuting the conventional wisdom of a legal vacuum in failed states, this book reveals how law matters deeply even in the most extreme cases of states still fighting for political stability.
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  1. ISBN-13
    978-1107026070
  2. Edition
    Illustrated
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Cambridge University Press
  5. Publication date
    May 27, 2013
  6. Part of series
    Cambridge Studies in Law and Society
  7. Language
    English
  8. File size
    2539 KB
  9. See all details
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From the Publisher

Law's Fragile State Award Winning Title

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A meticulous examination of the multiple roles, uses, and users of law in and by all of Sudan's several successive 'fragile states' … This is a bracing and important book, humane and wise, in domains where neither humanity nor wisdom has been conspicuous."
Martin Krygier, Gordon Samuels Professor of Law and Social Theory, University of New South Wales

"Beautifully illustrates how law served political ends over 114 years of Sudanese history … a personal and a professional journey [and] an outstanding contribution to a global literature."
Rachel E. Stern, Law and Politics Book Review

"A remarkable piece of socio-legal scholarship [made] into an incredibly readable story."
Law and Society Association award citation

"Challenges our assumptions about the notion that law promotes democracy and human rights … [an] insightful study."
American Political Science Association award citation

"Insightful, sober, and forward-looking analysis of the practice of human rights in the harsh realities of violent conflict and moral ambivalence."
Abdullahi An-Na'im, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law, Emory University

"A rich interdisciplinary analysis grounded in extensive fieldwork … a compelling story."
Rachel Ellett, Law and Social Inquiry

"An important and original contribution … groundbreaking … overdue and much needed."
Lutz Oette, Journal of African Law

"Law's Fragile State invites us to interrogate exactly what we mean by the rule of law and what we expect it to accomplish."
Sally Engle Merry, Law and Social Inquiry

"Ambitious, passionate, and eminently readable - Law's Fragile State challenges the presumption that law is all but absent in war-torn contexts like that of Sudan … [it] pushes the boundaries of law and society scholarship on several fronts at once."
Tamir Moustafa, author of The Struggle for Constitutional Power: Law, Politics, and Economic Development in Egypt

"Well-researched … well-written [and] thought-provoking … Highly recommended."
Choice

About the Author

Mark Fathi Massoud is Assistant Professor in the Politics Department and Legal Studies Program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He received the American Political Science Association Edward S. Corwin Award for the best dissertation in public law and the Law and Society Association Dissertation Prize. Massoud spent fifteen months in Sudan researching this book, including a year under a Fulbright-Hays fellowship.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00CARIF5S
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cambridge University Press; Illustrated edition (May 27, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 27, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2539 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Up to 4 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 306 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 110744005X
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 8 ratings

About the author

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Mark Fathi Massoud

Mark Fathi Massoud

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Mark Fathi Massoud is a professor of politics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he directs the Legal Studies Program. He is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford Faculty of Law. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Foreign Policy, San Francisco Chronicle, The Africa Report, and the Conversation. He is the author of two books. Visit www.markmassoud.com.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
8 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Bassam Kassab
5.0 out of 5 stars An enriching book for readers with or without Political Science background
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2013
Verified Purchase
Prof. Massoud's eye-opening book "Law's Fragile State" offers an enriching experience for every reader, including those of us who don't have a legal or a political science background. His well-written book flows pretty well. It is not surprising because the clarity of writing only flows from clarity of thought. Prof. Massoud is an authority on legal anthropology and his research focuses on the institutionalization of law and human rights in conflict settings and authoritarian states. He based his book on extensive fieldwork conducted in Sudan over the period of several years.
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Bernard Boulos
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book about authoritarian rule in the Sudan
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2021
One of the best books I’ve read on the subject of Authoritarian rule and dictatorship in the Horn of Africa.
One person found this helpful
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Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!!
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2021
Fascinating research on law and society in post-conflict countries, with a complex yet surreal example such as Sudan.
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SB
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent work as a result of expert field research.
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2021
Excellent work as a result of expert field research.
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Tom
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for those interested in the role of law in "failed states"
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2013
As an international development worker, this book truly pushed my thinking around the interrelationship and linkages between poverty, human development, and the law. Dr. Massoud delves deep into the creation and development of law and practice in "failed states" and how legal frameworks can and do play a stabilizing role in such settings. A must read for anyone interested in advancing systems-level solutions for the world's most intractable problems.
2 people found this helpful
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