Book Review: Sociological Jurisprudence: Juristic Thought and Social Inquiry
| Published date | 01 February 2020 |
| Date | 01 February 2020 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0964663919884202 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
is individual, does it affect all types of individuals? Does it affect those who have a
critical diagnosis of the role of the press and those who live in false consciousness in the
same manner? What would be the concrete consequences of this loss of meaning? What
kinds of society will collapse and what kinds will thrive after the abandonment of the
illusion of the free press? Would this consequence affect all types of societies or only
modernized and Western societies? I am aware of the length limitations that affect a
monographic piece such as this; however, these questions lie in the very idea of the title
of the book. These critical observations are, I think, a good way to approach such a book,
one that deserves to be looked at more closely and that can serve as a starting point for
further reflections on the issues addressed.
To conclude, it can be affirmed that The Illusion of the Free Press is a stimulating
contribution to the permanent discussion about the meaning of free speech, free press (in
particular in its relationship with the ownership and administration of media outlets), and
political freedom more generally. It may constitute interesting input for a process of
redefinition and reimagination of the postmodern public sphere, in which the new media
have made a revolutionary appearance. Undoubtedly, it is a work that is worth consid-
ering in any theoretical study on free press done by academics and students interested in
the discipline of media studies, as well as in democratic theory and legal and constitu-
tional theory. It is also for all those who seek to reflect on the critical roles of expression
and of the press in the generation of a freer and more democratic society or, at least, the
illusion of one.
PABLO MARSHALL
Universidad Austral de Chile, Chile
ROGER COTTERRELL, Sociological Jurisprudence: Juristic Thought and Social Inquiry. London,
New York: Routledge, 2017, pp. 256, ISBN 9781138052840, £30.99 (pbk).
What does it mean to be, and think, like a lawyer? Perhaps more accurately, what does it
mean to think like a jurist?InSociological Jurisprudence, Roger Cotterrell seeks to
explore this question further, considering the role of sociology insights in legal reason-
ing, the tensions, challenges and opportunities presented by the changes of transnation-
alism, and the sociological critique of legal values. Drawing from decades of experience
writing in the field of sociological jurisprudence, Socoiological Jurisprudence draws
from the work first undertaken in The Sociology of Law: An Introduction (Cotterrell,
1984). Revising and synthesising ideas and arguments previously published as stand-
alone articles and book chapters into a compelling and enriching narrative, Sociological
Jurisprudence makes a strong case for the incorporation of sociological insights into
jurisprudential thought, and why the ‘jurist’ is, and should be seen as a separate and
distinct entity from the legal philosopher or sociologist of law. For Cotterrell, socio-
logical jurisprudence is ‘an enterprise of jurists appealing to social science for aid in their
own projects of analysing legal doctrine and institutions and improving juristic practice’
(p. 3). In this book, which brings together the various themes and strands of Cotterell’s
Book Reviews 149
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