Interdisciplinary Comparative Law

Comparative law scholars have long recognised the importance of looking beyond legal texts and incorporating interdisciplinary methods into the study of law, yet in practice such use of non-legal methods has remained modest. Interdisciplinary Comparative Law illuminates why the doctrinal approach to legal research has retained its strong position, offering a critical analysis of the difficulties of interdisciplinarity. Incisive and ambitious in scope, the book highlights why the comparative study of law benefits from employing the methods of other disciplines. Chapters explore the various ways in which different fields can learn from each other, taking a deep dive into the respective studies of legal history, linguistics, literature, economics, social theory, and international law. The result is a vibrant cross-section of the contrasts and parallels between the practices of law and other areas of research, demonstrating which are the easiest for comparatists to grasp and implement, and which present obstacles for the application of non-legal methods. This cutting-edge book is an essential read for advanced students and scholars of law and legal studies. Its diagnosis of interdisciplinarity as both a boon and bane in the study of law will be of especial interest to comparative law scholars.