Abstract
While legal researchers’ skepticism about much of what is on offer under the name of theory is well grounded, there are nevertheless theoretical resources that can very much benefit empirical researchers. Neither legal philosophy nor grand European sociology of law are particularly helpful, and in many respects these traditions constitute obstacles to concrete analyses of legal processes. But fortunately, today, there are other sources of theoretical and methodological inspiration. Here I present a small part of my own recent contribution to the project of revising ‘theory’ in a way that is more helpful to legal and empirical researchers than traditional philosophy and sociology.
Highlights
In many parts of the world legal education and legal research have changed a great deal over the past ten or twenty years
Many legal scholars have come to appreciate the importance of empirical studies of legal processes and law reform efforts – studies that document, among other things, the often unintended effects of legal rules and legal change
Scholars engaged in such research on ‘law in action’ need theoretical inspiration and theoretical tools to put their particular research into a broader context
Summary
In many parts of the world legal education and legal research have changed a great deal over the past ten or twenty years. That the legal nature of particular spaces can change with time is well known; for example, numerous cities in the global North ban people from using parks at night.
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