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... > social science subjects > criminology and criminal justice > criminology > law and society > anthropology of law > legal pluralism
... > social science subjects > politics and international relations > political science > law and courts > law and society > anthropology of law > legal pluralism

Preferred term

legal pluralism  

Definition

  • Legal pluralism is a concept that some sociologists and anthropologists have used since World War II to describe multiple layers of law, usually with different sources of legitimacy, that exist within a single state or society. The origins of the idea go back earlier in the twentieth century, however, to work by Eugen Ehrlich (1862–1922), Georges Gurvitch (1894–1965), Santi Romano (1875–1947), and others.Today, sociolegal scholars in many countries frequently use the concept, and some believe it could serve as the basis for a general theory of law and society. [Source: Encyclopedia of Law & Society: American and Global Perspectives; Pluralism, Legal]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/legal_pluralism

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