A New Historical Jurisprudence?
13 Pages Posted: 7 Jun 2018
Date Written: May 22, 2018
Abstract
As part of a conference on Brian Tamanaha’s book, A Realistic Theory of Law, this article evaluates Tamanaha's claims in favor of Historical Jurisprudence. I agree with Tamanaha that the great works of that school of thought deserve more attention than they are now receiving. Also, as Tamanaha points out, some of the insights of Historical Jurisprudence were adapted by (or emerged independently in) the works of American Legal Realists and Sociological Jurisprudence. Ultimately, though, the article argues that the role of history in understanding law and legal systems must be distinctly different from the role claimed for history by the writers of the Historical Jurisprudence school.
Keywords: HIstorical Jurisprudence, Brian Tamanaha
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation