Justice in the Balance: Can the Law Save Democracy?

In this episode, we explore the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) — often hailed as the “conscience of Europe” and one of the most successful human rights institutions in the world. But in an era of democratic backsliding, populist politics, and eroding faith in institutions, what does “justice” look like today? Drawing on eight years of fieldwork with advocates, lawyers, and judges at the ECHR, Professor Jessica Greenberg’s Justice in the Balance examines how the Court functions both as a bureaucratic machine and as a moral ideal. Through her ethnographic lens, she reveals the tensions between law’s promise and its practice — between the aspiration of human rights and the limits of the institutions meant to protect them. This conversation probes the contradictions at the heart of the European project: Can legal institutions still serve as engines of democracy and hope, or have they become hollow symbols of a fading order? About the Guest: Jessica Greenberg is a professor of Anthropology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Prior to coming to UIUC, Greenberg was an Academy Scholar at the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, and an Assistant Professor in Communication Studies at Northwestern University. She recently earned a Master of Studies in Law at the College of Law, University of Illinois. She is also currently the Co-Editor of the Political and Legal Anthropology Review (PoLAR). Website: https://anthro.illinois.edu/directory/profile/jrgreenb Email: [email protected] Connect with Us: Subscribe below for more regular and profound discussions. Connecting practitioners, activists, and students together to dissect the compelling intersections related to human rights and social justice.   Subscribe on  : Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/33zeclUn2wMUIxRjsOApPW   Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/declarations-the-human-rights-podcast/id1178474117   Follow us on  X: @DeclarationsPod  Instagram: @declarationspodcast   LinkedIn: Declarations: The Human Rights Podcast  Share your thoughts using #declarationspodcast   Email us at [email protected]   Episode Credits  Host: Ed Parker  Producer: Ed Parker and Sarah Awan  Executive Producer: Sarah Awan  Show Notes: Yusan Ghebremeskel  Publisher and Communications Manager: Evie Nicholson  Editor: Max Parnell