Staging Justice: Theater and Empathy in Legal Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22201/ceide.16076079e.2026.27.2.9Keywords:
theater, law, human rights, legal education, staged justice, theater pedagogyAbstract
What happens when theater enters a law classroom? This article explores an experience developed at the Faculty of Law of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (unam), where students participated in theatrical performances to reflect on human rights, empathy, and legal practice. Through scenes from Pedro y el Capitán and Acusadas-Acosadas, participants embodied conflicts related to violence, abuse of power, and human dignity. The performances and subsequent discussion forums encouraged participants to question traditional approaches to legal education and to imagine a form of justice more closely connected to people’s lived experiences. The article proposes the concept of “staged justice”: a way of understanding legal practice through sensitivity, attentive listening, and the human dimension of conflict.
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