Sociology of law refers to both a sub-discipline of
sociology and an approach within the field of
legal studies. Sociology of law is a diverse field of study which examines the interaction of law with other aspects of society: such as the effect of legal institutions, doctrines, and practices on other social phenomena and vice versa. Some of its areas of inquiry include the social development of legal
institutions, the
social construction of legal issues, and the relation of law to social change. Sociology of law overlaps with
jurisprudence,
economic analysis of law and more specialized subjects such as
criminology.
[1]
History


Max Weber in 1917 - Weber who began as a lawyer and economic historian is regarded as one of the founders of sociology and sociology of law
Initially, legal theorists were suspicious of the sociology of law. Kelsen attacked one of its founders,
Eugen Ehrlich, who wanted to emphasise the difference between positive law, which lawyers learn and apply, and other forms of 'law' or social norms that regulate everyday life, generally preventing conflicts from reaching lawyers and courts.
[2] Around 1900
Max Weber defined his "scientific" approach to law, identifying the "legal rational form" as a type of domination, not attributable to people but to abstract norms.
[3] Legal rationalism was his term for a body of coherent and calculable law which formed a precondition for modern political developments and the modern bureaucratic state and developed in parallel with the growth of
capitalism.
[4] Another sociologist,
Émile Durkheim, wrote in
The Division of Labour in Society that as society becomes more complex, the body of civil law concerned primarily with restitution and compensation grows at the expense of criminal laws and penal sanctions.
[5] Other notable early legal sociologists included
Hugo Sinzheimer,
Theodor Geiger,
Georges Gurvitch and Leon Petrażycki in Europe, and
William Graham Sumner in the U.S.
[6]
Perspectives
Law and Society
In legal studies, the sociology of law is part of a more broadly conceived law and society approach or socio-legal studies. Its focus is on theoretically guided empirical studies. As such it draws on and contributes to social theory. The sociology of law is not to be confused with
sociological jurisprudence. The latter is a juristic perspective, developed in the United States by
Roscoe Pound and by earlier jurists in various European countries, that seeks to base legal arguments on sociological insights.
Additional perspectives
[These perspectives need discussion.]
- Marxism
- Types of authority and thought (Weber)
- Social organization and morality (Durkheim)
- Structural-Functionalism
- Comparative legal studies
- Critical legal studies
- Feminist and anti-racism theories
- Postmodern theories
- Spatial theory
- Other perspectives
Selected Topics
To be described:
- Legal systems
- Legal institutions
- Law making (social construction of law and mores)
- Social control
- Dispute resolution
- Social change
- Legal profession
See also
Related sociological subfields include
political sociology and the
sociology of deviance. Other social sciences, such as
Anthropology,
Criminology, and
Political Science, also include specialized approaches to the study of law.
Notes
1.
^ Jary,
Collins Dictionary of Sociology, 636
2.
^ Rottleuthner,
La Sociologie du Droit en Allemagne, 109
* Rottleuthner,
Rechtstheoritische Probleme der Sociologie des Rechts, 521
3.
^ Rheinstein,
Max Weber on Law and Economy in Society, 336
4.
^ Jary,
Collins Dictionary of Sociology, 636
5.
^ Johnson,
The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology, 156
6. ^ Gurvitch, Sociology of Law
, 142
* Papachristou, Sociology of Law'', 81–82
References
- Gurvitch, Georges; Hunt, Alan (1942—New edition 2001). "Max Webber and Eugene Ehlrich", Sociology of Law. Athens: Transaction Publishers. ISBN 0-765-80704-1.
- Jary, David; Julia Jary (1995). Collins Dictionary of Sociology. HarperCollins. ISBN 0004708040.
- Johnson, Alan (1995). The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology. Blackwells publishers. ISBN 1557861161.
- (Greek) Papachristou, T.K. (1999). "The Sociological Approach of Law", Sociology of Law. Athens: A.N. Sakkoulas Publishers. ISBN 9-601-50106-1.
- Rheinstein, M. (1954). Max Weber on Law and Economy in Society. Harvard University Press.
Further reading
- Reza Banakar and Max Travers, eds, An Introduction to Law and Social Theory. Oxford: Hart, 2002
- Reza Banakar and Max Travers, eds, Theory and Method in Socio-Legal Research. Oxford: Hart, 2005
- Roger Cotterrell, The Sociology of Law: An Introduction 2nd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press / Butterworths, 1992
- Roger Cotterrell, Law's Community: Legal Theory in Sociological Perspective Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995
- Vincenzo Ferrari, ed, Developing Sociology of Law: A World-Wide Documentary Enquiry. Milano: Giuffre, 1990
- Michael Freeman, ed, Law and Sociology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006
- Austin Sarat, ed, Blackwell Companion to Law and Society. Malden, Mass. and Oxford: Blackwell, 2004
External links
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The journal has been published continuously since 1934.
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See also This box: •
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law school (or school of law) is an institution specializing in legal education.
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Law schools in Canada and the United States typically require three years of study after completing an undergraduate degree.
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