Semantics or Sustainability: Socio‐legal Research in Family Law, or Sociology of Law and Family Justice
| Published date | 01 October 2017 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/jols.12049 |
| Date | 01 October 2017 |
| Author | Mavis Maclean |
JOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY
VOLUME 44, ISSUE S1, OCTOBER 2017
ISSN: 0263-323X, pp. S61±S73
Semantics or Sustainability: Socio-legal Research in Family
Law, or Sociology of Law and Family Justice
Mavis Maclean*
This article first addresses the question of semantics in the rapidly
developing field of law and society in the United Kingdom, and
suggests that the various terminologies (sociology of law, socio-legal
studies, empirical legal studies, and more) indicate lively development
rather than confusion, and should be a source of congratulation not
concern. The second part of the article takes the development of the
study of family justice as an example in addressing the issue of
sustainability through methodological development and methods of
communication which may provide the key to an ongoing contribution
to the understanding of law in society.
At the launch of the Centre of Law and Society, University of Cardiff in June
2016, an exciting and stimulating meeting of scholars and students
representing the many elements which come together to form the discourse
of law and society, contributors were asked to consider the themes,
theoretical influences, and research areas in the field in the United Kingdom,
and to illuminate the general current or `state of things' in the sociology of
law and socio-legal studies. A delightful, though demanding task. This
article addresses the question of semantics in this rapidly developing field,
suggesting that current anxieties arising from terminology may be less of an
issue than we often appear to think. It then turns to the key requirement for
our field of study, whatever semantic issues may arise, which is the need for
sustainability. Our focus, our methodologies, and our methods of
communication need to keep on developing in response to our changing
environment if we are to make an ongoing and lasting contribution to the
understanding of law in our society.
S61
*Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of Oxford,
Oxford OX1 2ER, England
mavis.maclean@spi.ox.ac.uk
ß2017 The Author. Journal of Law and Society ß2017 Cardiff University Law School
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