At the sources of the sociology of law. Fundamental facts and several digressions Cover Image

U źródeł socjologii prawa. Podstawowe fakty i kilka dygresji
At the sources of the sociology of law. Fundamental facts and several digressions

Author(s): Andrzej Kojder
Subject(s): Social Sciences
Published by: Instytut Profilaktyki Społecznej i Resocjalizacji UW
Keywords: law; social theory; society; sociology; sociology of law

Summary/Abstract: The main purpose of the article is to present the beginnings of the sociology of law as independent field of study. The author discusses the origins of the sociology of law and then discovering of the law by sociologists and of the sociology by lawyers (digressions are concerned mainly with Donald Black’s, Leo Tolstoy’s, and Karl Marx’s opinions on law). Next part of the article is entitled “A glance on the legacy of the sociology of law”. The author reconstructs the ideas of Emil Durkheim, Eugen Ehrlich, Max Weber and Leon Petrażycki. The last part of the article contains remarks about the sociology of law in the 21st century. In the author’s opinion there are many trends and theoretical orientations in the field of sociology and in legal sciences that formed contemporary sociology of law. However the ideas of the classics of the sociology of law stood the test of time. As before, sociologists of law are mostly engaged in investigating relations between the law and sociology, law and society, and law and social theory. The author’s final conclusion is rather pessimistic: until now the sociology of law gained neither cognitive advances nor practical achievements.

  • Issue Year: 2010
  • Issue No: 15
  • Page Range: 55-107
  • Page Count: 53
  • Language: Polish