There is a growing interest within law schools in the intersections between law and different areas of social theory. The second edition of this popular text introduces a wide range of traditions in sociology and the humanities that offer provocative, contextual views on law and legal institutions.
The book is organised into five sections, each with an introduction by the editors, on classical sociology of law, relating structure and action, critical approaches, postmodernism, and law in global society. Each chapter is written by a specialist who reviews the literature, and discusses how the approach can be used in researching different topics.
New chapters include authoritative reviews of actor network theory, legal realism, critical race theory, post-colonial theories of law, and the sociology of the legal profession. Over half the chapters are new, and the rest include discussion of recent literature.