Ronald Chen

I am broadly interested in the intersection of anthropology and law. My current project resolves around legal pluralism and tribal law in Jordan, where I trace criminal/tort cases in which defendants can be subject to criminal sanctions (decided by state courts) and tribal punishments (decided by tribal courts), and the use of administrative detention as a form of protective custody for women facing “honor” crimes. I aim to explore the curious relationship between the state and tribal law, and seek to uncover how people construe (moral/ethical) responsibility, including where this responsibility—whether individual, collective, partial, or transferable—morphs into legal liability.

I also maintain an interest in the jurisprudence behind legal defenses such as entrapment and duress; legal doctrines such as felony murder and vicarious liability—where the boundaries of that for which an individual can be responsible extend beyond her actions/fault; and other legal areas such as habeas corpus, Brady violations, and evidence. I am affiliated with the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies at Stanford, and Sijal Institute in Jordan. I also volunteer/teach with the Stanford Jail & Prison Education Project. I warmly welcome correspondence at my email address.

انا مرشح الدكتوراه بالانثروبولوجيا (علم الانسان) و بهتم بالروابط بين القانون و المجتمع/الثقافة. انا بركز على قضايا اجتماعية بالأردن، مثل النظام العشائري، حقوق الإنسان/المرأة، جرائم الشرف، و الحبس الاداري. حاليا، انا عم بعمل بحث عن نظام التعددية القانونية بالأردن، و العلاقات بين القانون المدني، القانون العشائري، و القانون الديني/الشريعة. انا كمان بهتم بنظريات المسؤولية—القانونية و العشائرية و الجنائية—لما شخص معين بكون مسوؤل عن شخص تاني. سابقا، انا عملت بحث عن استشهاد معاذ الكساسبة، و معنى موته للأردنيين. خلينا نتواصل!