Law's Community offers a distinctive analysis of law, identifying political and moral problems that are fundamental to contemporary legal theory. It portrays contemporary law as institutionalized doctrine, emphasizing ways in which legal modes of thought influence wider currents of understanding and belief in contemporary Western societies. Exploring relationships between law and sociology as contrasting and competing fields of knowledge, Law's Community develops ideas from social theory to identify key problems for legal development; in particular, those of restoring moral authority to law and of elaborating a concept of community that can guide legal regulation. The analysis leads to radical conclusions: among them, that law's functions need reconsideration at the most general level, that a unitary state legal system as portrayed in traditional kinds of legal theory may no longer be adequate in complex contemporary societies, and that law should be reconceptualized as a diverse but co-ordinated plurality of systems, sites, and forms of regulation.
Reviews
'The style of the work is lucid, patient, and extremely clear. It tackles difficult issue in a well-structured and organized fashion. Despite the theoretical charactor of many of its themes, this book would be appropriate not only for masters-level students but also those studying the sociology of law at undergraduate level.' * Journal of Law and Society *
'a fine collection of essays.'



Book Information
ISBN 9780198264903
Author Roger Cotterrell
Format Paperback
Page Count 398
Imprint Clarendon Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 547g
Dimensions(mm) 215mm * 137mm * 23mm