Translating Dark into Bright: Diary of a Post-Critical Year

Area of Science:

• Legal Theory
• Critical Theory
• Post-Critical Studies

Background:

• Initiated in February 2020 amidst global crises (Australian bushfires, nascent pandemic).
• Authors, early PhD candidates at Melbourne Law School, sought alternatives to critical theory's perceived amplification of negative affects.
• Inspired by literary critic Rita Felski's concept of post-critical reading practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and inhabit texts that move beyond critique, fostering wonder and vitality in legal theory.
• To explore how theoretical texts can inform living within and imagining alternatives to compounding global crises.
• To discover jurisprudential methods for re-engaging with law in a spirit of wonder and vitality.

Main Methods:

• An iterative reading project evolving in conversation with the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on Melbourne.
• Adoption of a post-critical reading practice, guided by Felski's work.
• Documenting encounters with theoretical texts through revised diary entries (2020 and 2021).

Main Results:

• The reading project evolved thematically and textually in response to pandemic restrictions and urban life.
• Attention was paid to the temporal and spatial contexts of reading and the affective responses generated.
• The study generated insights into how theoretical engagement can shape responses to crises.

Conclusions:

• Theoretical texts can cultivate a capacity for wonder and vitality, offering new ways to engage with legal scholarship.
• This approach provides methods for navigating and reimagining legal and social realities amidst ongoing crises.
• The project demonstrates a potential pathway for revitalizing legal theory and practice through post-critical engagement.