This lecture featured Professor Shyamkrishna Balganesh presenting his recent paper,“Legal Internalism: A Behavioral Theory,” co-authored with Prof. Taisu Zhang. The paper offers a provocative comparative account of why lawyers and judges across very different legal systems tend to treat law as a coherent, self-contained, and authoritative system, even when legal scholars often challenge that view. Drawing on examples from the United States, China, Germany, England, Japan, and India, it argues that this “internalist drift” reflects not only jurisprudential commitments, but also the professional incentives, status, and institutional interests of legal actors. The lecture was followed by a discussion round with scholars and graduate students.

Co-Hosts: RCLIP, Waseda University Institute of Comparative Law

Location: Waseda University Campus Building 8, Room 606

Language: English