Legal Anthropology: An Introduction

(Paperback)

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Legal Anthropology: An Introduction offers an initial overview of the challenging debates surrounding the cross-cultural analysis of legal systems. Equal parts review and criticism, James M. Donovan outlines the historical landmarks in the development of the discipline, identifying both strengths and weaknesses of each stage and contribution. Legal Anthropology suggests that future progress can be made by looking at the perceived fairness of social regulation, rather than sanction or dispute resolution as the distinguishing feature of law.

Reviews

James M. Donovan's Legal Anthropology: An Introduction is a very useful, needy, and successful account that presents the various aspects of law, with a clear and balanced exposition of the major theories of legal scholars. -- Leopold Pospisil, professor and curator emeritus, Yale Peabody Museum
Donovan's introduction is a book worth reading.His book succeeds in its function as a textbook.This book makes a well-written introduction to an important field of anthropology. * Anthropos *
In a field where there are many good and some great monographs, critical overviews are few and far between, and James M. Donovan's comprehensive treatment of legal anthropology comes as a breath of fresh air. Legal Anthropology guides newcomers to the rich literature of law and anthropology, and provides more mature scholars with perspectives to debate. -- Mack O'Barr, professor of cultural anthropology at Duke University and author of Just Words, Second Edition: Law, Language, and Power

Author Bio

James M. Donovan teaches legal anthropology at the University of Georgia. He is co-author of Anthropology and Law.