Ancient Law

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Law, Jurisprudence, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology
Cover of the book Ancient Law by Sir Henry Sumner Maine, Dante J. Scala, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Sir Henry Sumner Maine, Dante J. Scala ISBN: 9781351531726
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: July 12, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Sir Henry Sumner Maine, Dante J. Scala
ISBN: 9781351531726
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: July 12, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Best known as a history of progress, Ancient Law is the enduring work of the 19th-century legal historian Henry Sumner Maine. Even those who have never read Ancient Law may find Maine's famous phrase "from status to contract" familiar. His narrative spans the ancient world, in which individuals were tightly bound by status to traditional groups, and the modern one, in which individuals are viewed as autonomous beings, free to make contracts and form associations with whomever they choose. Maine's dichotomy between status-based societies and contract-based societies is a variation on a theme that has absorbed the social sciences for a century: the distinction between Gemeinschaft (community) and Gesellschaft (society). This theme has been elaborated upon by such eminent scholars as Tonnies, Durkheim, Weber, Simmel, and Parsons. Along with many lesser scholars, they have considered what we gained and what we lost when we left behind a social world held together by communal, primordial bonds, and adopted one based upon impersonal temporary agreements among individuals. Maine wrote Ancient Law to increase knowledge about the internal mechanics of developing societies. He felt a key objective was better understanding of how law develops over time. Failure to understand temporal processes in relation to legal development, he argues, leads to the creation of false dichotomies. The most important of these is the alleged division between the ancient and the modern, which Maine described as an "imaginary barrier" at which modern scholars feel they must stop and go no further. Maine's desire to breach this barrier led him to present this complex and richly nuanced analysis of legal evolution. This book will be of interest to historians, political philosophers, and those interested in the development of law.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Best known as a history of progress, Ancient Law is the enduring work of the 19th-century legal historian Henry Sumner Maine. Even those who have never read Ancient Law may find Maine's famous phrase "from status to contract" familiar. His narrative spans the ancient world, in which individuals were tightly bound by status to traditional groups, and the modern one, in which individuals are viewed as autonomous beings, free to make contracts and form associations with whomever they choose. Maine's dichotomy between status-based societies and contract-based societies is a variation on a theme that has absorbed the social sciences for a century: the distinction between Gemeinschaft (community) and Gesellschaft (society). This theme has been elaborated upon by such eminent scholars as Tonnies, Durkheim, Weber, Simmel, and Parsons. Along with many lesser scholars, they have considered what we gained and what we lost when we left behind a social world held together by communal, primordial bonds, and adopted one based upon impersonal temporary agreements among individuals. Maine wrote Ancient Law to increase knowledge about the internal mechanics of developing societies. He felt a key objective was better understanding of how law develops over time. Failure to understand temporal processes in relation to legal development, he argues, leads to the creation of false dichotomies. The most important of these is the alleged division between the ancient and the modern, which Maine described as an "imaginary barrier" at which modern scholars feel they must stop and go no further. Maine's desire to breach this barrier led him to present this complex and richly nuanced analysis of legal evolution. This book will be of interest to historians, political philosophers, and those interested in the development of law.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book The Politics of the New Germany by Sir Henry Sumner Maine, Dante J. Scala
Cover of the book Human Rights Law in Europe by Sir Henry Sumner Maine, Dante J. Scala
Cover of the book School Leadership and Administration by Sir Henry Sumner Maine, Dante J. Scala
Cover of the book Revival: The Middle English Versions of Partonope of Blois (1912) by Sir Henry Sumner Maine, Dante J. Scala
Cover of the book Preparing Participants for Intergenerational Interaction by Sir Henry Sumner Maine, Dante J. Scala
Cover of the book The Europeanisation of Parliamentary Democracy by Sir Henry Sumner Maine, Dante J. Scala
Cover of the book Caravans of the Old Sahara by Sir Henry Sumner Maine, Dante J. Scala
Cover of the book Predicting Turning Points in the Interest Rate Cycle (RLE: Business Cycles) by Sir Henry Sumner Maine, Dante J. Scala
Cover of the book Bogdanov and His Work by Sir Henry Sumner Maine, Dante J. Scala
Cover of the book Religious Schools in the United States K-12 (1993) by Sir Henry Sumner Maine, Dante J. Scala
Cover of the book Controversy and Coalition by Sir Henry Sumner Maine, Dante J. Scala
Cover of the book The Death of Drawing by Sir Henry Sumner Maine, Dante J. Scala
Cover of the book Nationalism, Ethnicity and Boundaries by Sir Henry Sumner Maine, Dante J. Scala
Cover of the book The Shaping of Israeli Identity by Sir Henry Sumner Maine, Dante J. Scala
Cover of the book The Art of Editing in the Age of Convergence by Sir Henry Sumner Maine, Dante J. Scala
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy