Abstract
As I wrote in an earlier tribute, Peter Fitzpatrick was a fierce yet gentle man. He had strong views and accomplished great things as a scholar. Peter knew what he thought, and he thought deeply. He produced a remarkable corpus of theoretically informed and politically engaged, sophisticated, nuanced, and often challenging work. It called on law and humanities scholars to understand the depth and deviousness of law’s peculiar brand of power.
He was an icon for many law, culture, and humanities fellow travelers, but he wore his achievements lightly. Peter had the gift of real curiosity, not the usual once-over lightly “what are you working on” kind. He really wanted to know what you were working on and join in a deep exploration of the things that preoccupied those with whom he conversed.
Peter’s combination of intellectual firepower and human decency made people feel good about being part of a vibrant scholarly community. He took his responsibilities to that community seriously and became a pillar of LCH, a founding associate editor. Whenever he was called on, and whatever he was called on to do, he would never say no.
In this issue of LCH, we have collected essays that explore his remarkable work and legacy. It is what academics do, turning mourning into prose, but it cannot do justice to this giant in our field.
But Peter would understand that gap and want us to appreciate it as a place where memory dwells.