'Standing Trial' focuses on the relationship between the law and the concept of the person in modern Arab societies. It directly addresses the questions of continuities, transformations and ruptures of such notions. Law performs a central function in revealing social and historical dynamics and in being itself a tool of its implementation. The introduction of Western-style legal systems partially led to a transposition of characteristics of centrality, individualism and secularism. 'Standing' Trial is the first truly interdisciplinary study of its subject, combining legal, historical and socio-legal perspectives. It is a highly original and important contribution to the study both of the language of law and the history of law in the Middle East. Contributors include Khaled Fahmy, Mohamed Nachi, Armando Salvatore, Oussama Arabi and Maurits Berger.

Baudouin Dupret has lived in the Arab world for many years and is a Tenured Research Fellow at the CNRS, Paris.