MPP Seminar with Andreas Philippopoulos-Mihalopoulos

MPP Seminar with Andreas Philippopoulos-Mihalopoulos, May 16, 2013

Critical Autopoiesis and the Materiality of Law

Autopoietic theory is increasingly seen as a candidate for a radical theory of law, both in relation to its theoretical credentials and its relevance in terms of new and emerging forms of law. An aspect of the theory that has remained less developed, however, is its material side, and more concretely the theory’s accommodation of bodies, space, objects and their claim to legal agency. The present article reads Luhmann’s theory of autopoietic systems in a radical and material manner, linking it on the one hand to current post-structural theorisations of law and society, and on the other hand extending its ambit to accommodate the influx of material considerations that have been working their way through various other disciplines.

Andreas Philippopoulos-Mihalopoulos, LLB, LLM, PhD, has read Law in Thessaloniki, Greece, as well as in other European cities. He completed his LLM at King's College, London, and his PhD at Birkbeck College, London. He is Professor of Law & Theory and Director of the Westminster International Law & Theory Centre at the University of Westminster, London, an international research centre in the heart of London with a vibrant series of events, publications, internships and research clusters. Andreas's research interests include critical legal theory, autopoiesis, philosophy, psychoanalysis, architecture, geography, art, phenomenology, and their critical instances of confluence. He researches in the areas of environmental law, EU law, human rights and critical jurisprudence. Andreas has been awarded the Oxford University Press National Law Teacher of the Year Award 2011.

Discussants: Lynn Roseberry & Christian Borch