Courtroom Power Distance Dynamics

Michał Dudek is Assistant Professor of Sociology of Law in the Faculty of Law and Administration at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow (Poland). His previous research concerned mainly communication of law, multiculturalism’s influence on law and axiology of law. Most recently he published on selected instances of law’s visuality and spatiality. He is currently working on legal application of flat ontologies.Mateusz Stępień is Professor of Sociology of Law in the Faculty of Law and Administration at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow (Poland). His research interests focus on exploring the cultural dimension of law. He published papers on Bronislaw Malinowski’s concept of law, Confucianism, images in judicial opinions and representative bureaucracy. He is currently working on the subject of judicial empathy.

“This book serves as a compelling demonstration of theoretical evolution. The authors provide a detailed explanation of Hofstede and Pałecki’s concept of power, critically evaluate their advantages and disadvantages, and propose their three-level model of power distance. This not only showcases their theoretical contribution but also offers fascinating reading for legal sociologists, legal semioticians, legal linguists, and students who focus on courtroom studies in inquisitorial legal systems.” (Wei Yu, International Journal for the Semiotics of Law, Vol. 37 (2), 2024)

• 1 Introduction.- 2 Courts, Courtrooms and Power Distance.- 3 Judge-Witness Courtroom Power Distance Dynamics.- 4 Subjective Power Distance and Opinions on Judges.- 5 Conclusion.