Martin Albrow - Niklas Luhmann: A Sociological Theory of Law

(London: Routledge 2014)

(2nd edition, edited by Martin Albrow, translated conjointly by Martin Albrow & Elizabeth King-Utz)

Niklas Luhmann is recognised as a major social theorist, and his treatise on the sociology of law is a classic text. For Luhmann, law provides the framework of the state, lawyers are the main human resource for the state, and legal theory provides the most suitable base from which to theorize on the nature of society. He explores the concept of law in the light of a general theory of social systems, showing the important part law plays in resolving fundamental problems a society may face. He then goes on to discuss in detail how modern 'positive' – as opposed to ‘natural’ – law comes to fulfil this function. The work as a whole is not only a contribution to legal sociology, but a major work in social theory. With a revised translation, and a new introduction by Martin Albrow.

Prof. Dr. Martin Albrow was Fellow at the Käte Hamburger Centre for Advanced Study "Law as Culture" from October 2012 to September 2013.