Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
2-2026
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Program
Liberal Studies
Advisor
Prithi Kanakamedala
Subject Categories
Aesthetics | Comparative Politics | Conflict of Laws | Constitutional Law | Creative Writing | Feminist Philosophy | Health Law and Policy | Human Geography | Human Rights Law | Immigration Law | Inequality and Stratification | International Humanitarian Law | International Law | Judges | Law and Society | Legislation | Migration Studies | Other History | Other Law | Other Legal Studies | Other Philosophy | Other Rhetoric and Composition | Other Social and Behavioral Sciences | Other Theatre and Performance Studies | Politics and Social Change | Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies | Rule of Law | Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance | Torts
Keywords
Legal Poetics, Creative Nonfiction, Autoethnography, Performativity, Narrative Justice, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Abstract
This essay explores the contradictions in legal theory and human experience through creative nonfiction. Its main purpose is to argue that a truly just society requires acknowledging the profound influence of individual narratives on the law. This is supported by blending personal narratives, critical analysis, and philosophical inquiry to reveal the gap between codified law and lived realities for marginalized individuals. This unique Legal Poetics methodology employs a series of six vignettes, such as the author's and Luis's shared experiences with traumatic brain injury and the denial of justice, as data. By integrating autoethnography, law as narrative, and performativity theories, it challenges law's fictional objectivity and positions it as a dynamic, evolving poem, continuously re-legislated by collective imagination and empathy. Ultimately, it is a quest for interconnectedness, where justice emerges from shared humanity and the co-creation of new narratives, lighting a path for us to continue in solidarity.
Recommended Citation
Leggett, Jason M., "Finding Luis: A Creative Nonfiction Account of Law & Society" (2026). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6517
Included in
Aesthetics Commons, Comparative Politics Commons, Conflict of Laws Commons, Constitutional Law Commons, Creative Writing Commons, Feminist Philosophy Commons, Health Law and Policy Commons, Human Geography Commons, Human Rights Law Commons, Immigration Law Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, International Humanitarian Law Commons, International Law Commons, Judges Commons, Law and Society Commons, Legislation Commons, Migration Studies Commons, Other History Commons, Other Law Commons, Other Legal Studies Commons, Other Philosophy Commons, Other Rhetoric and Composition Commons, Other Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons, Other Theatre and Performance Studies Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, Rule of Law Commons, Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons, Torts Commons
