Legal Pluralism and Local Governance: Cross-Regional Dynamics and Transformations

Abstract (English)

Local governance is influenced by a complex interplay of legal, institutional, and normative frameworks, resulting in negotiated engagements across multiple arenas. To navigate these complexities, scholars and practitioners have used legal pluralism as a research perspective to examine how different legal systems coexist, interact, and shape governance structures. This approach enables us to explore the diverse norms and practices of social actors in governance, revealing both established dynamics and new transformations in different regions. We aim to advance the discussion of legal pluralism beyond abstract definitions of legitimacy to investigate the interactions and relationships among various actors by documenting established forces and dynamic change faced by pluralistic governance structures. We aim to advance the discussions of legal pluralism beyond abstract debates on legitimacy to investigate interactions and relationships among different actors by documenting established forces and dynamic change faced by pluralistic governance structures. We will collect empirical evidence of context-specific practices to understand their implications for governance systems. Specifically, our inquiry focuses on the following questions: (i) How does legal pluralism manifest in local governance settings characterized by diverse norms and practices (ii) In what ways do institutions within these settings overlap, conflict, and adapt to address governance challenges (iii) How do different actors particularly indigenous and marginalized communities negotiate exclusion from and inclusion in governance systems. By adopting a multidisciplinary approach, we aim to identify the complex interactions that characterize the interplay between international, national, regional, and local governance systems and analyze the dynamics of legal pluralism. We invite contributions that combine research on legal pluralism and local governance to deepen our understanding of current dynamics and transformations observable in diverse societies across the globe.