A Series on Law and the Arts at the University of Malaga Faculty of Law @jcalvo11

Beginning March 9, the University of Malaga School of Law is hosting a series of seminars on Art and Law. The March 9th lecture features Professors Jose Calvo Gonzalez and Maria Pina Fersini discussing law and architecture. On April 12, Professor Felipe Navarro Martinez will discuss law and literature, Professor Jose Manuel Cabra Apalategui will discuss law and music, and Professor Cristina Monereo Atienza will discuss law and photography. On May 3, Professor Jose Francisco Alenza Garcia will discuss law in Game of Thrones.

More here.

Husa on Exploring Imaginative Legal History: The Legalism of the House Stark in Game of Thrones @HusaJaakko

ICYMI: Via @DroitetFiction:

Jaakko Husa, University of Lapland Faculty of Law, has published Exploring Imaginative Legal History: The Legalism of the House Stark in the Game of Thrones at 20 Media & Arts Law Review 181 (2015). Here is the abstract.

This article examines George R R Martin’s imaginative historical narrative in his book series A Song of Ice and Fire. The first book of the series (A Game of Thrones) is highlighted and discussed from the points of view of legal history and applied legal theory. The article concentrates on the legal mentality of one of the noble Houses in A Game of Thrones and discusses Martin’s rich narrative in its relation to the real feudal legal history and jurisprudential frameworks it displays. Analysis focuses on the rules of succession. It will be argued that even though the House Stark’s attitude and mentality can be labelled as legalistic and surprisingly modern it can be seen as a natural part of the imaginative feudal world of A Game of Thrones. The article concludes that, by studying the legalistic attitude and mentality of the House Stark, we can also learn about the legal theoretical nature of modern legalism. Paradoxically, it is also suggested that the study of imaginative legal history deepens our understanding of ‘real’ legal history. Moreover, the author argues that analysis of imaginative legal history expands our legal mind and immerses us in alternative horizons of law.

Download the article from SSRN at the link.

Legal History and Rules of Succession In "Game of Thrones"

Jaakko Husa, University of Lapland Faculty of Law, has published Exploring Imaginative Legal History: The Legalism of the House Stark in the Game of Thrones at 20 Media & Arts Law Review 181 (2015). Here is the abstract.

This article examines George R R Martin’s imaginative historical narrative in his book series A Song of Ice and Fire. The first book of the series (A Game of Thrones) is highlighted and discussed from the points of view of legal history and applied legal theory. The article concentrates on the legal mentality of one of the noble Houses in A Game of Thrones and discusses Martin’s rich narrative in its relation to the real feudal legal history and jurisprudential frameworks it displays. Analysis focuses on the rules of succession. It will be argued that even though the House Stark’s attitude and mentality can be labelled as legalistic and surprisingly modern it can be seen as a natural part of the imaginative feudal world of A Game of Thrones. The article concludes that, by studying the legalistic attitude and mentality of the House Stark, we can also learn about the legal theoretical nature of modern legalism. Paradoxically, it is also suggested that the study of imaginative legal history deepens our understanding of ‘real’ legal history. Moreover, the author argues that analysis of imaginative legal history expands our legal mind and immerses us in alternative horizons of law.

Download the article from SSRN at the link.

Lannisters, Starks, and Fantasy Football

Joe Berkowitz of Fast Company highlights this meshing of the worlds of Game of Thrones and the NFL. Examine Dave Rappaccio's Westeros Fantasy Football League more closely here at Kissing Suzy Kolber. More GoT fun here from FC writer Dan Solomon, who discusses how Tim Proby gave all 32 of the NFL teams Westeros themes.

If you need even for your Game of Thrones fix, check out how the Getty is linking the show with medieval art here, (no football, though).

And We Thought Game of Thrones Was Just the Wars of the Roses

Reading (or re-reading) Game of Thrones with a Marxist gloss, here  (in the Guardian) and yes, well, perhaps not, here (in Jacobin Magazine).

Law, Political Economy, and "Game of Thrones"

Matthew McCaffrey, University of Manchester, Manchester Business School, and Carmen Elena Dorobăt are publishing 'We Do Not Sow': The Economics and Politics of A Song of Ice and Fire in Capitalism and Commerce in Imaginative Literature (Ed Younkins, ed., Lexington Books, 2015).
Here is the abstract.

George R.R. Martin's fantasy epic A Song of Ice and Fire brilliantly illustrates a number of basic principles of political economy. In particular, the richness of his world allows for a detailed account of economic and political relations in human society, and the saga uses its fantasy setting to dramatize and explore important questions about power, conflict, and the state. This essay discusses three economic themes in A Song of Ice and Fire. First, Martin's novels illustrate some fundamental ideas about political institutions, showing that organized economic exploitation is the foundation of the state. Second, they dramatize the relationship between war-making and public finance, describing the immense (networks of) political power created through control of the treasury, as well as the political logic that drives Lord Baelish and the Lannisters from taxation to borrowing to inflation in order to sustain and conceal the crown's war debt. Third, we examine how the rhetoric of Westeros's ruling class prevents the emergence of institutions friendly to peace and social cooperation, especially in the form of market exchange.

Download the essay from SSRN at the link.

Lawyers and Game of Thrones

Over at Concurring Opinions, Dave Hoffman is posting the transcripts of some very interesting interviews he has conducted with Game of Thrones author G. R. R. Martin. Game of Thrones is now a huge hit on HBO.  See here, here, and here. In the second interview, Mr. Martin discusses the role of lawyers Game of Thrones, which takes the York/Lancaster Wars of the Roses for some of its inspiration. On the Game of Thrones series, see:

Game of Thrones and Philosophy: Logic Cuts Deeper Than Swords (Henry Jacoby, ed., Wiley, 2012) (Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series). Available in print and ebook formats. 

Drink Up! Oh, and Live Long and Prosper!

Ah, the uses of trademark law! Check out Vulcan Ale, now for sale in Vulcan, Alberta, in honor of the town's centennial. If you'd rather have Romulan Ale, or a Star Wars, Monty Python, or Game of Thrones brew, check out the possibilities here.

TV For the CEO

Bloomberg Businessweek offers up this view of the popular series "Game of Thrones." Yes, it's relevant for the boardroom, according to Logan Hill. But doesn't that suck all the fun right out of it?