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I am delighted to pass along this announcement from my friend and colleague Ann Wagner (Lille) about an exciting call for papers (CfP) for a special issue of the Participating journal: International Journal for the Semiotics of Law - Revue internationale de Sémiotique juridique: Metaphor and Legal Interpretation: A Rhizomatic Mapping of Law. Here is the overview:
This special issue invites contributions that explore the role of metaphor in legal interpretation through the lens of law as a rhizomatic system of meaning. Moving beyond traditional, hierarchical conceptions of law as a stable structure of norms, this collection approaches law as a dynamic, non-linear, and semiotic process—one that is continuously reconfigured through interpretive practice. At the core of this project lies the proposition that metaphor is not merely a stylistic or rhetorical feature of legal language, but a fundamental cognitive and semiotic mechanism through which legal meaning is produced, structured, and transformed. Legal concepts such as rights, duties, responsibility, balance, and justice are not accessed directly; rather, they are mediated through metaphorical mappings that shape how they are understood, applied, and contested.
By situating legal interpretation within a rhizomatic framework, this issue reconceptualizes interpretation as a distributed and evolving process unfolding across multiple sites: judicial reasoning, legal doctrine, normative texts, and broader discursive environments. Legal meaning emerges through networks of connections, ruptures, translations, and reconfigurations, reflecting the multiplicity and fluidity of contemporary legal phenomena.
Suggested Topics: We welcome submissions that engage with, but are not limited to, the following themes:
--Metaphor as a cognitive and semiotic structure in legal reasoning
--The role of metaphor in judicial decision-making and doctrinal development
--Rhizomatic models of law and non-linear approaches to legal interpretation
--Metaphor and the construction of legal concepts (e.g., rights, sovereignty, responsibility)
--Dominant and alternative metaphors in legal discourse
--The transformative and disruptive potential of metaphor in law
--Legal semiotics and metaphor
--Philosophical hermeneutics and metaphor in legal interpretation
--Cognitive linguistics approaches to law
--Critical legal theory perspectives on metaphor and meaning
--Empirical analyses of metaphor in legal texts, judgments, or practice
--The role of metaphor in mediating between abstract legal norms and social realities
The full CfP follows below and may be accessed HERE.
Metaphor and Legal Interpretation: A Rhizomatic Mapping of Law
This collection examines the role of metaphor in legal interpretation by approaching law as a rhizomatic system of meaning—non-linear, non-hierarchical, and continuously reconfigured through interpretive practice. Moving beyond traditional conceptions of law as a stable structure of norms, it conceptualizes law as an open, dynamic, and semiotic process in which meaning is not fixed but emerges through networks of signs, metaphors, and interpretive acts.
At the core of this collection lies the proposition that metaphor is not merely a stylistic or rhetorical feature of legal language, but a fundamental cognitive and semiotic mechanism through which legal meaning is produced, structured, and transformed. Legal concepts—such as rights, duties, responsibility, balance, or justice—are not accessed directly but are mediated through metaphorical mappings that shape how they are understood, applied, and contested in practice. In this sense, metaphor operates as an interpretive infrastructure of law, guiding both reasoning and decision-making.
The collection further situates legal interpretation within a rhizomatic framework, inspired by non-linear models of knowledge and meaning. Rather than viewing interpretation as the application of fixed rules within a hierarchical system, it is understood here as a distributed and evolving process that unfolds across multiple sites: judicial reasoning, legal doctrine, normative texts, and broader discursive environments. Legal meaning emerges through connections, ruptures, translations, and reconfigurations, reflecting the multiplicity and fluidity of contemporary legal phenomena.
Contributions explore how metaphor structures legal reasoning, frames doctrinal developments, and conditions the possibilities of interpretation. They investigate how dominant metaphorical frameworks can stabilize legal meaning, but also how alternative metaphors can disrupt, reorient, or expand interpretive horizons. Attention is given to the role of metaphor in shaping judicial decision-making, influencing public understandings of law, and mediating the relationship between abstract legal concepts and concrete social realities.
The collection welcomes interdisciplinary approaches that engage with legal semiotics, philosophical hermeneutics, cognitive linguistics, and critical legal theory. It encourages both theoretical and empirical studies that examine how metaphor operates across different legal contexts and interpretive practices, as well as contributions that interrogate the limits, tensions, and transformative potential of metaphor in law.
By bringing together these perspectives, the collection positions law as a rhizomatic field of meaning—one that is constantly in motion, shaped by intersecting interpretive practices, and open to reconfiguration. It thus seeks to advance a deeper understanding of how metaphor and interpretation jointly constitute the dynamic and evolving nature of legal thought.
Overview
This special issue invites contributions that explore the role of metaphor in legal interpretation through the lens of law as a rhizomatic system of meaning. Moving beyond traditional, hierarchical conceptions of law as a stable structure of norms, this collection approaches law as a dynamic, non-linear, and semiotic process—one that is continuously reconfigured through interpretive practice.
At the core of this project lies the proposition that metaphor is not merely a stylistic or rhetorical feature of legal language, but a fundamental cognitive and semiotic mechanism through which legal meaning is produced, structured, and transformed. Legal concepts such as rights, duties, responsibility, balance, and justice are not accessed directly; rather, they are mediated through metaphorical mappings that shape how they are understood, applied, and contested.
By situating legal interpretation within a rhizomatic framework, this issue reconceptualizes interpretation as a distributed and evolving process unfolding across multiple sites: judicial reasoning, legal doctrine, normative texts, and broader discursive environments. Legal meaning emerges through networks of connections, ruptures, translations, and reconfigurations, reflecting the multiplicity and fluidity of contemporary legal phenomena.
Suggested Topics
We welcome submissions that engage with, but are not limited to, the following themes:
- Metaphor as a cognitive and semiotic structure in legal reasoning
- The role of metaphor in judicial decision-making and doctrinal development
- Rhizomatic models of law and non-linear approaches to legal interpretation
- Metaphor and the construction of legal concepts (e.g., rights, sovereignty, responsibility)
- Dominant and alternative metaphors in legal discourse
- The transformative and disruptive potential of metaphor in law
- Legal semiotics and metaphor
- Philosophical hermeneutics and metaphor in legal interpretation
- Cognitive linguistics approaches to law
- Critical legal theory perspectives on metaphor and meaning
- Empirical analyses of metaphor in legal texts, judgments, or practice
- The role of metaphor in mediating between abstract legal norms and social realities
Aims of the Special Issue
This collection aims to:
- Advance interdisciplinary understandings of legal interpretation
- Reframe law as an open, dynamic, and evolving field of meaning
- Illuminate how metaphor structures legal cognition and practice
- Explore the limits, tensions, and transformative possibilities of metaphor in law
Submission Guidelines
- Submissions should be original and unpublished work
- Both theoretical and empirical contributions are welcome
- Interdisciplinary approaches are strongly encouraged
- Manuscripts should follow Springer’s submission guidelines (see collection link above)
Important Dates
- Abstract submission: Please send abstracts to Sarah Marusek at marusek@hawaii.edu by 15 October 2026
Submission Process
Authors should submit their manuscripts via the Springer submission system and indicate that their submission is intended for the special issue:
“Metaphor and Legal Interpretation: A Rhizomatic Mapping of Law.”
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