Paper short abstract:

This paper does two things. First, it discusses the specific theme and methodological approach I use for a project on "the legal afterlife of war". Second, I share the methodology, structure and thinking behind a "slow scholarship" project I convene on this topic with 7 other scholars.

Paper long abstract:

This paper does two things. First, it discusses the specific theme and methodological approach I use for a project on "the legal afterlife of war". This research aims to better understand how Syrians understand the law in the aftermath of mass violence and revolutionary events. These events began in the public consciousness in 2011 with the revolution and subsequent Syrian civil war, but really Syrians' relationship to violence and the law extended well before into the half-century reign of the al-Assad regime and will, no doubt, proceed in various ways, regardless where they are now located, for many generations to come. Through ethnography, collaboration and co-creation with Syrians' I have known for around 10 years we seek to bring to the surface unconscious ways of thinking about violence and the law. In doing so, we hope to bring "above the horizon of history" many "unknown unknowns" as a way of radically reshaping the present and the future. The second part of the paper shares the methodology, structure and thinking behind a "slow scholarship" project I am convening on the broader topic of "the legal afterlife of war". This project involves 8 scholars working over a period of 12-18 months on the theme across various cases and examples. It reflects on what works and what doesn't in trying to bring a pedagogy of care, personalisation and non-production to academia.