Sociology of Law: Visions of a Scholarly Tradition

Mathieu Deflem

Feb 2008 · Cambridge University Press

About this ebook

Since the classic contributions of Weber and Durkheim, the sociology of law has raised key questions on the place of law in society. Drawing together both theoretical and empirical themes, in this book Mathieu Deflem reviews the field's major accomplishments and reveals the value of the multiple ways in which sociologists study the social structures and processes of law. He discusses both historical and contemporary issues, from early theoretical foundations and the work of Weber and Durkheim, through the contribution of sociological jurisprudence, to the development of modern perspectives to clarify how sociologists study law. Chapters also look at the role of law in relation to the economy, politics, culture, and the legal profession; and aspects of law enforcement and the globalization of law. This book will appeal to scholars and students of the sociology of law, jurisprudence, social and political theory, and social and political philosophy.

About the author

Mathieu Deflem is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of South Carolina. He has published dozens of articles in journals and books, is the author of Policing World Society (2002) and the editor of Sociologists in a Global Age (2007), Sociological Theory and Criminological Research (2006), Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism (2004) and Habermas, Modernity and Law (1996). His website is www.mathieudeflem.net.