Abstract

Across cultures, the courtroom is the site of some of the most overt gendered ceremonies and rituals sanctioned by the state.  It might be argued that there are very few places in which power relations and institutionalised sexism are more inscribed than in the trial.  In this paper Linda would like to look at the ways in which these dynamics are mediated by the physical environment in which the trial takes place.  In contrast to previous studies of the trial which have looked at witnesses, judges, defendants and victims this paper will consider the political function of the spectators in the public trial and the ways in which the activities of spectators have become the focus of increased surveillance and regulation over time.  It will look, in particular, at how such practices have been justified by reference to the emotional or feminine qualities of the those who watch trials.