Special Issue: Traditions, Myths, and Utopias of Personhood

The German Law Journal is proud to announce the publication of the special issue “Traditions, Myths, and Utopias of Personhood” (Volume 18, No. 5), which has been edited by Toni Selkälä & Mikko Rajavuori (University Turku, Finnland).

This Special Issue presents ten articles tracing the traditions, myths, and utopias of personhood. Grounded in diverse theoretical traditions and covering a wide array of jurisdictions and thematic areas, the articles expose and problematize the boundaries of natural and legal personality as they appear in global law today. Animals, cyborgs, embryos, corporations, and sui generis political communities, among other liminal entities, provide the raw material for sweeping arguments that reframe ancient debates on the origins, techniques, and implications of personhood and the many tasks personhood does for law. As a whole, this Special Issue argues for often radical re-orientations of our understanding of personhood and, with that, our appreciation of things.