Law Professor awarded esteemed SLSA book prize

Professor Jiri Přibáň was awarded the SLSA Socio-Legal Theory and History Prize this month for his book Sovereignty in Post-Sovereign Society.

Professor Přibáň accepted the prize in a ceremony which took place at the Socio-Legal Association annual conference, Lancaster on 6 April. The book, which investigates Professor Přibáň’s long term interests in theories of sovereignty and legal and political change in European society, took seven years to write and started with the question, ‘Why does the concept of sovereignty persist in contemporary societies in which the sovereign state's political and legal role is profoundly transformed and increasingly limited?'

Of his award, Professor Přibáň said, “I feel extremely grateful to a great number of friends and colleagues who critically inspired and supported me for many years here in Cardiff and in many other places in Europe. For me, the prize proves that, apart from law, politics, administration and economy, Europe has its thriving social and legal science and the School of Law and Politics is one of its proud centres.”

Professor Přibáň’s achievement is a significant personal accolade but also confirms Cardiff’s reputation as an international centre for socio-legal studies. Professor Přibáň is the director of the Centre of Law and Society which will be launched June 2016. Professor Přibáň said of the research centre, “The Centre for Law and Society is a great achievement of many colleagues from the School and we all hope it will become an umbrella organisation supporting and nurturing the most diverse research in socio-legal studies and sociology of law including legal and social theory. I, therefore, perceive the book as one of many contributions to the Centre's future activities and programme.”