ABSTRACT
I will return to these criteria later. First, I will give a brief presentation of the field of legal geography.
Legal geography and Landscape
Legal geography, or the geography of law, is concerned with the complex interactions between law, society and the geographical environment (Blomley, 2000; Forest, 2000; Jones, 2005). Law is understood as not only comprising formal statutory law and common law, but also informal customary law, folk law and local legal cultures. Law is not seen in purely instrumental terms but as embedded in social relations. To understand the relationship between law and geographical patterns of practice, it should be kept in mind that local implementation and interpretations of law may diverge from national norms. Legal practice may be modified by local customary rights or other circumstances not considered by central legislation. Such may occur where different legal systems meet as a result of a change of sovereignty, as in Orkney and Shetland. Laws and legal practice may also be contested overtly or covertly. Constant opposition may lead to certain laws not being fully implemented or to changes in the law.
