UNSW Law & Justice invites you to the launch of Pseudolaw and Sovereign Citizens by Harry Hobbs (UNSW), Stephen Young (University of Otago) and Joe McIntyre (University of South Australia). This event is co-hosted by the UNSW Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law.
Join the book's authors and a panel of guest speakers to learn more about this important publication.
Location:
This hybrid book launch will take place in person at the UNSW Faculty of Law & Justice, Level 2, Adrian Cameron Room and online via Microsoft Teams. For those attending in person, drinks and nibbles will be served during the event.
Book description:
Pseudolaw and Sovereign Citizens
Does the Magna Carta mean I do not need to pay my mortgage? If I am “travelling”, do I need to get a driver’s license? Must I really pay council rates if I have not consented to their imposition? The COVID-19 pandemic saw the rise of a curious but dangerous phenomenon: many Australians argued that the law simply did not apply to them. Pseudolaw and Sovereign Citizens draws on the expertise of judges, criminologists, legal theorists, and political sociologists to explore the who, what, where, why and how of pseudolaw. Often be dismissed as nothing more than strange ravings, the contributors argue that there is much more operating beneath the surface. The growth of pseudolaw has been connected to challenges related to access to justice and legal literacy, as well as broader concerns around disengagement and marginalisation within society. Pseudolaw and Sovereign Citizens argues that without taking this phenomenon seriously, and without appreciation of its important public law aspects, we will not be able to respond effectively.
Commentators:
- Dr Nofar Sheffi (UNSW)
- Dr Keiran Hardy (Griffith University)
Chair:
- Professor Ben Golder (UNSW)
Authors biographies:
Dr Harry Hobbs is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law and Justice at UNSW. Harry's primary research interests are in public law and the rights of Indigenous people, but alongside this work examines the phenomenon of micronations and the growth of sovereign citizens and pseudolaw adherents in Australia and their impact on the administration of justice.
Dr Joe McIntyre is an Associate Professor of Law at UniSA: Justice & Society. He has a wide range of research and teaching experiences across the common law world. Dr McIntyre’s research focuses on judicial studies and judicial theory.
Dr Stephen Young is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Otago. He is a socio-legal and critical legal scholar who examines how legal subjects are made and when legal systems clash.