Paradigms in Modern European Comparative Law

This book uses the philosophy of Thomas Kuhn to provide a new vision of the development of European comparative law that will challenge and inspire scholars in the field.<br/><br/>With the 'empathic' use of some ideas from Kuhn's theories on the history of science - paradigm paradigm-shift puzzle-solving research and incommensurability - the book rethinks the modern history of European comparative law from the late 19th century to the modern day. <br/><br/>It argues that three major paradigms determine modern comparative law: <br/>- historical and comparative jurisprudence <br/>- <i>droit comparé</i> and <br/>- post-World War II comparative law.<br/><br/>It concludes that contemporary methodological trends are not signs of a paradigm-shift toward a postmodern and culturalist understanding of comparative law but that the new approach spreads the idea of methodological plurality.