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Rats, Pigs, And Statues On Trial: The Creation Of Cultural Narratives In The Prosecution Of Animals And Inanimate Objects, Paul Schiff Berman

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

Records indicate that trials of animals - usually for killing human beings - took place throughout Europe and elsewhere from the ninth through the nineteenth centuries. The historical evidence indicates that communities viewed these trials seriously. If we can understand what social benefits the trials brought to the people of these towns, we may begin to see that trials even in our own time fulfill cultural needs that extend far beyond dispute resolution and adjudication.

This Note explores how an understanding of the social function of trials may allow us to rethink their value in contemporary society. This Note describes …

Rats, Pigs, And Statues On Trial: The Creation Of Cultural Narratives In The Prosecution Of Animals And Inanimate Objects, Paul Schiff Berman

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

Records indicate that trials of animals - usually for killing human beings - took place throughout Europe and elsewhere from the ninth through the nineteenth centuries. The historical evidence indicates that communities viewed these trials seriously. If we can understand what social benefits the trials brought to the people of these towns, we may begin to see that trials even in our own time fulfill cultural needs that extend far beyond dispute resolution and adjudication.

This Note explores how an understanding of the social function of trials may allow us to rethink their value in contemporary society. This Note describes …