The earliest legal systems we know of arose with religion as a human construct.  Drawing on her new book, The Rule of Laws, (Basic Books 2021), Professor Pirie will discuss the history of religious law in South Asia and beyond.  Beginning in the Vedic period, religion has been a central influence on ideas of law in the region, and religious interpreters have used law to shape society.

Fernanda Pirie is Professor of the Anthropology of Law at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies at the University of Oxford, and an expert in Tibetan society.  She spent the past 10 years working with colleagues in history and anthropology looking at legal systems from throughout human history, comparing and contrasting, and charting their influence on the modern world. Prior to academia she was a practicing barrister.

This event is sponsored by the International Programs and International Law Society. 

Boxed lunch will be provided.