NCJ Number
175961
Date Published
1994
Length
230 pages
Annotation
This book attempts to synthesize Marxist political economy ideas and the semiotic tradition in an analysis of the sociology of law, legal theory, and jurisprudence.
Abstract
The challenge from the sociology of law appears in several guises but all involve demonstrating the connections between law and other social forms. The sociology of law clearly demonstrates that law is the result of sociopolitical contexts, that law serves some interests rather than others, that different social structures or forms of organization give rise to different laws and legal systems, and that a combination of coercive and ideological processes are at work to ensure the continuation of existing legal systems and structures of domination. The sociology of law is also related to anthropology, jurisprudence, and legal realism. Following an introductory section that focuses on functions of law and the fulfillment of social values, book chapters consider Durkheim's emphasis on the systematic sociology of law, Weber's view of law in economy and society, Marxist theory on law in a political economy, differences between legal science and the sociology of law, structural functionalism and the behavior of law, and semiotics and critical approaches in the sociology of law. 618 references and 14 figures