Law/Society: Origins, Interactions, and Change

Foundations of the Sociology of Law provides a conceptual framework for thinking about the full range of topics within the sociology of law discipline.

The book: contrasts normative and sociological perspectives on law; presents a primer on the logic of research and inference as applied to law related issues; examines theories of legal change; and discusses law in action with specific reference to civil rights legislation.

A core text for the Law and Society or Sociology of Law course offered in Sociology, Criminal Justice, Political Science, and Schools of Law. John Sutton offers an explicitly analytical perspective to the subject - how does law change? What makes law more or less effective in solving social problems? What do lawyers do? Chapter 1 contrasts normative and sociological perspectives on law, and presents a brief primer on the logic of research and inference as it is applied to law related issues. Theories of legal change are discussed within a common conceptual framework that highlights the explantory strengths and weaknesses of different arguments. Discussions of "law in action" are explicitly comparative, applying a consistent model to explain the variable outcomes of civil rights legislation. Many concrete, in-depth examples throughout the chapters.

He is Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He teaches and does research on law, crime and punishment, and organizations. His research tends to be concerned with change over time in legal systems, organizational structures and practices, and institutional fields.