Law Commons^™

Representations Of Law In Popular Culture: Knowledge Constructions, Media Deconstructions, Virginia Rivalland

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis investigates law and analyses its representations in popular culture. Law is a powerful institution within western society with a regulatory role that is supported by a range of complementary discourses that accord with society's dominant cultural values. This thesis proposes that while such institutional hegemony is never stable as there is always an expectation of challenge or resistance, law is currently experiencing a series of challenges on numerous fronts. Legal commentators themselves acknowledge that law now faces a ‘crisis of confidence' that may affect its status and impact on its power to control and regulate. Media are cultural …