Histories of the Sociology of Law (WG Histories of the Sociology of Law)

The sociology of law and other empirical studies of law cannot be fully understood without considering the social environments in which these research practices are embedded. In this sense, the exchange of ideas among scholars from different cultures and regions is essential for advancing the field. With this in mind, the session seeks to explore the diverse and interconnected trajectories of socio-legal scholarship across regions. Rather than focusing on developments within individual nation-states, the session aims to uncover broader regional patterns and the histoires croisées (Werner & Zimmermann 2006) that link them. It responds to the limitations of methodological nationalism that often constrain disciplinary histories, advocating instead for a comparative and transregional historiographical perspective. Building on the work of the History of Sociology of Law section of the Elgar International Encyclopedia of the Sociology of Law, and previous workshops of the RCSL Working Group on Histories of Sociology of Law, the session seeks to further develop a transregional approach to examining both internal dynamics and cross-cultural exchanges that have shaped socio-legal knowledge over time.