Introduction: A Special Issue on Niklas Luhmann’s systems theory and law
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https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl.1855Keywords:
Niklas Luhmann, systems theory, legal system, sociology of lawAbstract
Combating corruption, ordering business practices and regulating the use of artificial intelligence are but some of the challenges of today’s society that socio-legal research engages with. These challenges are often transnational in their character, calling for an analytical toolbox fit to examine phenomena that transcend space and time. Niklas Luhmann’s systems theory offers such a toolbox to examine complicated communicative practices in today’s globalised world. This Special Issue brings together junior and senior socio-legal researchers from the Global South and the Global North who illustrate and exemplify how Luhmann’s systems theoretical framework can be applied and theoretically discussed with the purpose of analysing socio-legal issues of relevance for the world of today. This article first introduces the motivation and aim of the Special Issue. Then, the article introduces key concepts of Niklas Luhmann’s systems theory and sociology of law, followed by a presentation of the articles that constitute the Special Issue.
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