The Neutral Law? Essays in Honour of Johanna Niemi

Johanna Niemi is a feminist legal scholar whose research and teaching has been crucial to the development of procedural law, law and gender, and insolvency law, particularly in the Finnish and Nordic context. Her contribution is not only intellectual, but also practical, particularly since her research has had a significant impact on the development of legislation and legal practice, most importantly within the fields of Finnish criminal and procedural law. In addition to this influence, her long-standing engagement with legal teaching has inspired a new generation of critically thinking legal academics and practitioners. This edited, multivocal and multidisciplinary volume is both an intellectual and a personal celebration and engagement with the legacy of Johanna Niemi. The volume is divided into five sections, each reflecting the broad range of Johanna’s scholarship, work and impact. The first section bears the title Towards Gender Equal Criminal Justice, bringing together chapters which engage with Niemi’s feminist and gender critique of the criminal justice system. The second section, Law, Gender and Power, addresses the relation between legal structures, gender and power dynamics. The third section, Changing Insolvency Law: Comparative and National Perspectives, reflects on another of Johanna Niemi’s areas of expertise: insolvency law. The fourth section goes by the name Legal Symbols, Language and Experiments, bringing together diverse discursive engagements with the law. The fifth and final section bears the title Personal Encounters.