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The Sociology of Law in France: Trends and Paradigms
Author(s) -
Noreau Pierre,
Arnaud André Jean
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of law and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.263
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 1467-6478
pISSN - 0263-323X
DOI - 10.1111/1467-6478.00090
Subject(s) - sociology of law , sociology , law , criminology , law and economics , political science , social science
To suggest that French legal sociology is a field in which a dominant theoretical tendency is identifiable is misleading; equally, attempts to provide insight into the work achieved in French socio‐legal studies which presuppose that a complete inventory of the field must be undertaken are misguided. In this article, an exposition of French legal sociology is attempted using different means: following a brief history of the evolution of socio‐legal studies in France, the authors suggest different paradigms around which French researchers appear to converge. Eight paradigms are identified, covering the majority of French sociologists and jurists. The article concludes with an analysis of some characteristics of socio‐legal studies in general, within the framework of French intellectual and academic life.