German sociology of law

Although several founders of sociology had a German mother-tongue and German jurisprudence may be the leader in systematic legal dogmatism, these factors have not worked in tandem to produce an influential law and society movement in Germany.¹ To the contrary, these two scientific cultures were split throughout most of the twentieth century and thus left little opportunity for producing a sociology of law. This article outlines the development of the sociology of law in Germany, sketches its current state, and concludes with a cautious forecast.