Brian Z. Tamanaha Knihy

Focusing on the interplay between law and society, this book offers a theoretical and sociological analysis that merges legal theory with sociological perspectives. It examines the prevalent view of law as a reflection of societal customs and morals, exploring how law functions to uphold social order. Through a survey of Western legal and social theories, the author critiques this conventional understanding, providing both theoretical insights and empirical evaluations of the law's role within society.

Sociological Approaches to Theories of Law applies empirical insights to examine theories of law proffered by analytical jurisprudents. The topics covered include artifact legal theory, law as a social construction, idealized accounts of the function of law and the dis-embeddeness of legal systems.

The book critiques the perspective of law as merely a tool for achieving specific goals, highlighting the inherent issues this viewpoint creates. It explores the implications of such an approach on legal interpretation and practice, emphasizing the need for a more nuanced understanding of law's role in society. Through various arguments and examples, it challenges readers to reconsider the foundational principles of legal systems and their impact on justice and morality.

Legal pluralism involves the coexistence of multiple forms of law. This includes state law, international law, transnational law, customary law, religious law, indigenous law, and the law of distinct ethnic or cultural communities. Legal pluralism is a subject of discussion today in legal anthropology, legal sociology, legal history, comparative law, international law, transnational law, jurisprudence, and law and development scholarship. This book places legal pluralism in historical context going back to the Medieval period, describes the origins of legal pluralism in postcolonial countries and its implications today, identifies manifestations of legal pluralism within Western societies, discusses contemporary transnational legal pluralism, identifies problems with current theoretical accounts of legal pluralism, and articulates an approach to legal pluralism that avoids theoretical problems and is useful for social scientists, theorists, and law and development scholars and practitioners.