The Blackwell Companion to Law and Society is an authoritative study of the relationship between law and social interaction.

Thirty-two original essays by an international group of expert scholars examine a wide range of critical questions. Authors represent various theoretical, methodological, and political commitments, creating the first truly global overview of the field.

• Examines the relationship between law and social interactions in thirty-three original essay by international experts in the field.
• Reflects the world-wide significance of North American law and society scholarship.
• Addresses classical areas and new themes in law and society research, including: the gap between law on the books and law in action; the complexity of institutional processes; the significance of new media; and the intersections of law and identity.
• Engages the exciting work now being done in England, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, South Africa, Israel, as well as "Third World" scholarship.

Austin Sarat is William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science at Amherst College. He was President of the Law and Society Association in 1998-1999, and is currently president of the Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities. He is the author or editor of over 50 books, including Cultural Pluralism. Identity Politics and the Law (edited with Thomas Kearns, 1999), Cause Lawyering and the State in a Global Era (edited with Stuart Scheingold, 2001), Pain, Death, and the Law (2001), When the State Kills: Capital Punishment and the American Condition (2001), and Human Rights: Concepts, Contests, Contingencies (edited with Thomas R. Kearns, 2001).