Perhaps what is happening (the transformation of Chinese law)

Author: Su Li
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: Approaching the issue from a institutional perspective, this book examines the development of Chinese legal studies over the past 25 years as an important component of the rule of law practices and institutional building in China's transformation. It is a reflection and critique of law by a legal scholar on the field of law itself, expanding the scope of legal research. The book focuses on the overall pattern and basic trends of the development and transformation of legal studies, as well as the underlying academic and social contexts that support this pattern. Grounded in empirical and experiential research, the author views certain phenomena in contemporary Chinese legal studies as symptoms and attempts to diagnose the underlying institutional issues. By interweaving macro-level perspectives with micro-level analyses, the book explores shifts in the knowledge types of contemporary Chinese legal studies, the quantity and quality of academic outputs, academic translation, and changes in the mainstream ideology of law. It also analyzes a series of social factors that constrain and influence the development of legal studies and legal scholars, including social changes, social expectations, and academic traditions. The author also proposes a series of recommendations for institutional building in legal research. This is both an empirical study on the current state of Chinese legal studies and a theoretical work; it is both a sociological study of law and a sociological study of knowledge concerning the sociology of legal research, representing the first of its kind in China.
From an institutional perspective, the book examines the development of Chinese legal studies over the past 25 years as an important component of the rule of law practices and institutional building in China's transformation. It is a reflection and critique of law by a legal scholar on the field of law itself, expanding the scope of legal research. The book focuses on the overall pattern and basic trends of the development and transformation of legal studies, as well as the underlying academic and social contexts that support this pattern. Grounded in empirical and experiential research, the author views certain phenomena in contemporary Chinese legal studies as symptoms and attempts to diagnose the underlying institutional issues. By interweaving macro-level perspectives with micro-level analyses, the book explores shifts in the knowledge types of contemporary Chinese legal studies, the quantity and quality of academic outputs, academic translation, and changes in the mainstream ideology of law. It also analyzes a series of social factors that constrain and influence the development of legal studies and legal scholars, including social changes, social expectations, and academic traditions. The author also proposes a series of recommendations for institutional building in legal research. This is both an empirical study on the current state of Chinese legal studies and a theoretical work; it is both a sociological study of law and a sociological study of knowledge concerning the sociology of legal research, representing the first of its kind in China.