Invitation to the Sociology of International Law

"This volume] aims to cast light on the under-explored sociological dimension of international law. The book emphasizes that international legal rules are profoundly embedded in diverse social factors and processes, such as norms, identity, and collective memory. Thus, international law often reflects and affects societal factors and processes in state societies and in the international community. The book exposes some central tenets of the sociological perspective and its core theoretical approaches, and presents a sociological analysis of several significant topics in present-day international law. The volume surveys subjects such as compliance, international economic law, legal fragmentation, law-making, and the impartiality of adjudicators, and reveals that a sociological analysis of international law enriches our understanding of social factors involved in the formation, evolution, and implementation of the law. Such analysis may not only explain past and present trends in international law but also bears significant implications for the interpretation of existing legal provisions, as well as suggesting better legal mechanisms for coping with contemporary challenges."-- Book jacket.