Law in Culture and Society - by Laura Nader (Paperback)

About the Book

"A classic collection in the anthropology of law. While some exceptionally good descriptive work is presented, the volume is particularly valuable in providing a range of thoughtful, engaged, and empirically grounded theoretical explorations of issues in the comparative study of law and conflict."--Donald Brenneis, author of "Dangerous Words"

Book Synopsis

As conflict resolution becomes increasingly important to urban and rural peoples around the globe, the value of this classic anthology of studies of process, structure, comparison, and perception of the law is acclaimed by policy makers as well as anthropologists throughout the world. The case studies include evidence from Africa, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania, and they reflect the important shift from a concern with what law is to what law does.

From the Back Cover

"A classic collection in the anthropology of law. While some exceptionally good descriptive work is presented, the volume is particularly valuable in providing a range of thoughtful, engaged, and empirically grounded theoretical explorations of issues in the comparative study of law and conflict."--Donald Brenneis, author of Dangerous Words

Review Quotes

"The great strength of the study of dispute settlement has been its emphasis on untangling the social and cultural processes involved through the use of detailed case studies, and this volume is notable for the fine case studies and stimulating analyses presented in a number of its papers."--Marc J. Swartz, "Science

About the Author

Laura Nader is Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley. Her books include No Access to Law: Alternatives in the American Justice System, Harmony Ideology: Justice and Control in a Zapotec Mountain Village, and Naked Science.