Ryan Peterson grew up in Northfield, Minnesota, and has always been curious about how communities make and experience law. His curiosity about communities led him to earn a J.D. from the University of Oregon, a master’s in political theory from Iowa State University, and an LL.M. from the University of British Columbia. Combing his areas of study, Ryan’s early work developed “Context Theory,” an idea that law can only be understood by paying attention to the real lives of the people who feel its effects. The theory emphasizes the phenomenological experience of law and how such experiences are translated back into the legal institutions. Today, Ryan’s research uses Context Theory to look at how legal systems and political culture shape people’s sense of belonging—or exclusion—in their communities. He is especially interested in how poverty and inequality affect people’s ability to share in the experience of law. Ryan’s belief is that alienation from the legal community creates conspiracies and radical political positions. Outside of his academic work, Ryan enjoys running, reading widely, and spending time outdoors.
Supervisor: Ashwini Vasanthakumaw & Grégoire Webber
Focus: Context Theory