ABSTRACT
Given the limited progress which has been made in comparative sociology of law since the writings of Max Weber, little justification is needed for seeking to compare and contrast legal institutions and processes in different societies and cultures. But the task of understanding the 'other' - in a world of ever-increasing contacts and mutual influences - is much more demanding than merely juxtaposing descriptions of the operations of law or attitudes to law in different countries. The contributions in this volume were first presented at a workshop on 'Comparing Legal Cultures' in Macerata University in Italy on 18-20 May 1994, organized by the Department of Social Change, Legal Institutions and Communication (under the auspices of the ISAJRCSL).l They discuss central features of law in countries as different (or as similar) as Britain, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Japan and the USA. But their special concern is with the theoretical point of such exercises: the aim of this collection is to consider the possibilities and advantages of using comparative work so as to clarify the meaning and character of legal culture.
