ARTICLES Comparative Law's Coming of Age? Twenty Years after Critical Comparisons (original) (raw)

Comparative Law’s Coming of Age? Twenty Years after Critical Comparisons†

Comparative Law as Transnational Law, 2011

A. Introduction From its first line, Giinter Frankenberg's article Critical Comparisons, published twenty years ago,' leaves no doubt as to its radical claim and aspiration. Nothing short of attempting to "re-think" comparative law, the article sets out to attack many of the dearly held beliefs in the scholarship and practice of comparative law. The beliefs, the history, the believers, their work and strugglesthey are all there. Frankenberg plows through them in order to lay bare what he conceives of as being an incorrectly defended myth of scholarly objectivity among many of the field's pioneers and contemporary protagonists. Not being alone in his struggle of fiercely assailing the citadels of a nearly century-old comparativist scholarly venture, 2 his crucial contribution to the field cannot now be denied. Whether we consider its open, frank, almost casual style, or its wide reaching theoretical reach, Critical Comparisons remains one of the most eminent articulations of the crisis of comparative law in its first century. 3 At the time of the article's 20th birthday, it is

METHODOLOGY OF COMPARATIVE LAW TODAY: FROM PARADOXES TO FLEXIBILITY

L'article présente une critique envers les positions normatives, rigides et paradoxales dans le débat méthodologique de droit comparé aujourd'hui. L'auteur étudie les différentes possibilités d'une nouvelle approche pour concevoir une méthodologie. Il fait une analyse des méthodologies de tendance générale ainsi que des méthodologies en dehors de celle-ci. Les contradictions entre les deux sont considérées comme artificielles par rapport à leur caractère fondamental. Ce que l'auteur propose est un procédé plus ouvert pour la création de méthodologie ; celui-ci serait capable d'échapper à une partie des problèmes se trouvant aux deux extrémités du débat méthodologique. Cela évoque l'idée d'une échelle méthodologique et, en outre, défend le travail d'équipe multidisciplinaire dans le domaine de droit comparatif. Il est proposé que la nature tout ou rien du débat méthodologique soit évitée à cause de son caractère irréaliste et parce qu'elle reflète la mauvaise image de soi de l'étude comparative du droit.

Classics in Comparative Law : An Introduction

Legal scholars often criticize comparative law for being an overreaching discipline, lacking a coherent methodology and a well-defined domain. Nevertheless, there remains something exciting and potentially enlightening about comparative law. In these 3 volumes, we present a selection of 77 articles and essays that in our view illustrates the importance of comparative legal analysis. We survey, in a necessarily selective and incomplete way, the modern era of comparative law, beginning in the late 19th century. In this introduction, we summarize many of the themes in the collection, with special attention to three enduring questions in the field: how do law and legal systems develop? How do we understand variation? And why should we care?

The Comparative Method in Legal Research: The Art of Justifying Choices

Legal Education eJournal, 2016

Comparative law is a thriving area in the study of the law which has attracted, in the last decades, a growing interest in legal scholarship and legal education. The expanding literature published in quality specialised outlets as well as a steadfast number of research events organised by universities, research institutes and other numerous organisations all attest the phenomenon. It is difficult to find an academic law curriculum which does not comprise a course in comparative law in some form, whether as an introductory course in the first years of study, or as a more substantial course at a later stage. A comparative perspective may also be embedded, in a more or less systematic way, in the study of the different subjects of law (i.e. contract law, commercial law, constitutional law, family law, procedural law…). Comparative legal studies are also increasingly being pursued at doctoral level. In a sense, ‘we are all comparatists now’, or bound to be.