Archive for September 2016

Felicitous Consent

23 Felicitous Consent Tim Grant and Kerrie Spaul Within the volume The Language of Sexual Crime (2007) edited by Janet Cotterill, Peter Tiersma published a thoughtful paper, The Language of Consent in Rape Law, focusing on the nature of consent in the context of rape and sexual crime. His paper . . . Read more

The Language of Consent in Rape Law

21 The Language of Consent in Rape Law* Peter M. Tiersma Perhaps the most important feature of the word consent is that it describes a state of mind. It is not primarily a performative verb. Of course, it is possible to consent by saying “I consent.” So it might be . . . Read more

The Sounds of Silence

19 The Sounds of Silence Malcolm Coulthard To be invited to contribute to a volume for Peter Tiersma is a daunting honour. He is the master of elegant argument and expression and a past master at choosing memorable examples—who can forget the Roman freeing his slave with a compulsory speech . . . Read more