A Systematic Review of the Digital Turn in Socio-Legal Studies: Beyond (or Towards New) Identities and Contexts in Law and Life

The development of socio-legal studies (including law and society and the sociology of law) cannot be presented in terms of a simple historical evolution in the study of law and legal systems. Its history is, and its current practice remains multifarious: spanning distinct developments and focal areas across different continents; including a wide variety of intellectual traditions, theoretical perspectives, and methodological approaches; and attracting an equally diverse range of scholars. Yet, socio-legal studies (and its other manifestations), have always been concerned – whether directly or indirectly – with making sense of the law in terms of specific contexts and with reference to specific individual or collective identities. These various contexts and identities, however, are increasingly and fundamentally being altered by the progressive uptake and integration of advanced digital technologies in all aspects of our daily lives, including in law and legal practice. This digital turn is also apparent in socio-legal scholarship et al., where digital contexts and disembodied or representational identities are increasingly the foci of investigation. In this paper, through a systematic review of literature and with due regard to the multifarious nature of the undertaking, the impact of this digital turn will be traced, theorised, and projected with reference to the essential categories of context and identity in socio-legal scholarship at large. While this digital turn is also not susceptible to a simple, linear proclamation through which its arrival, development, and future course can be traced and explained, this paper will offer the first known comprehensive exposition and critical analysis.