Comparative Law in a Global Context - The Legal Systems of Asia and Africa

692 Pages·2006·4.93 MB·English

by  Werner Menski

COMPARATIVE LAW IN A
GLOBAL CONTEXT
Thisbookpresentsacriticalrethinkingofthestudyofcomparativelawand
legaltheoryinaglobalisingworldandproposesanewmodel.Ithighlights
theinadequaciesofcurrentWesterntheoreticalapproachesincomparative
law,internationallaw,legaltheoryandjurisprudence,especiallyforstudy-
ingAsianandAfricanlaws,arguingthattheyaretooparochialandeuro-
centrictomeetglobalchallenges.Menskiarguesforcombiningmodern
naturallawtheorieswithpositivistandsocio-legaltraditions,buildingan
interactive,triangularconceptoflegalpluralism.Advocatedasthefourth
majorapproachtolegaltheory,thismodelisappliedinanalysingthehis-
toricalandconceptualdevelopmentofHindulaw,Muslimlaw,African
lawsandChineselaw.
werner menski is Professor of South Asian Laws at the School of
OrientalandAfricanStudies,UniversityofLondon,whereheisalsoChair
oftheCentreforEthnicMinorityStudies.Hehaspublishedwidelyinthe
areaofSouthAsianLaw.HehasbeenaVisitingProfessoratthePakistan
CollegeofLaw,Lahore,theSouthAsiaInstitute,UniversityofHeidelberg,
theTokyoUniversityofForeignStudies,andatILSLawCollege,Pune,
India.

COMPARATIVE LAW IN A
GLOBAL CONTEXT
The Legal Systems of Asia and Africa
Second Edition
WERNER MENSKI
cambridge university press
Cambridge,NewYork,Melbourne,Madrid,CapeTown,Singapore,SãoPaulo
Cambridge University Press
TheEdinburghBuilding,Cambridgecb22ru,UK
PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyCambridgeUniversityPress,NewYork
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9780521858595
© Werner Menski 2006
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexceptionandtotheprovisionof
relevantcollectivelicensingagreements,noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplace
withoutthewrittenpermissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublishedinprintformat 2006
isbn-13 978-0-511-16924-3 eBook (NetLibrary)
isbn-10 0-511-16924-8 eBook (NetLibrary)
isbn-13 978-0-521-85859-5 hardback
isbn-10 0-521-85859-3 hardback
isbn-13 978-0-521-67529-1 paperback
isbn-10 0-521-67529-4 paperback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyofurls
forexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication,anddoesnot
guaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate.
DedicatedtoEmeritusProfessorMasajiChiba
forhiseighty-sixthbirthday
17September2005

CONTENTS
Prefaceandacknowledgments page xi
Tableofcases xv
Tableofstatutes xvii
Listofabbreviations xx
part i Comparativeframework
Introduction:GlobalisationandAsianandAfrican
legalsystems 3
1 Comparativelawandlegaltheoryfromaglobal
perspective 25
1.1 Theculture-specificnatureoflawandrespectfordifference 26
1.2 Changingglobalscenario:fromcolonialtransplantto
ethnicimplant 37
1.2.1 Internationallawanditsunifyingpressures 38
1.2.2 Comparativelawasaharmonisinghandmaiden 46
1.2.3 Assumptionsaboutuniformity:legaltransplantsandreception
oflaws 50
1.2.4 Southernvoices:frompolitesilencetopost-colonial
reassertion 55
1.3 Newglobalisation:reversecolonisationandethnicimplants 58
1.4 Goodpracticeinstudyingandteachingcomparativelaw 66
1.5 Worldlegalhistory:adeficientmodel 70
1.6 Amodelofpluralist,globality-conscious
legaleducation 75
2 Legalpluralism 82
2.1 Earlyconceptualisationsoflegalpluralism 85
2.2 Thehistoricalschooloflaw 88
2.3 Earlylegalpluralism:Ehrlich’s‘livinglaw’ 92
2.4 Reluctantpluralism:Hart’sprimaryandsecondaryrules 98
2.5 Postmoderntheoriesoflegalpluralism 103
2.5.1 Moore’sconceptofthe‘semi-autonomous’
socialfield 104
2.5.2 Allott’sthreeperspectivesonlaw 108
vii
viii contents
2.5.3 Griffiths’theoryoflegalpluralism 113
2.5.4 Chiba’stripartitemodeloflaw 119
3 Comparativejurisprudence:imagesandreflectionsoflaw 129
3.1 Traditionalnaturallawtheoriesinoutline 131
3.2 Greeklegalphilosophy 134
3.3 Romanlegalphilosophy 139
3.4 EarlyandlatermedievaldevelopmentsinChurchlaw 141
3.5 Re-evaluationofnaturallawduringRenaissanceand
Reformation 146
3.6 Legalpositivism 150
3.7 Beyondpositivism 160
3.7.1 Socio-legal approaches 161
3.7.2 Newnaturallawtheories 168
3.8 Aglobalworkingdefinitionoflaw 173
part ii Regionalcomparisonsinaglobalcontext
Introduction 193
4 Hindulaw:thesearchforappropriateness 196
4.1 Ahistoricalandconceptualoverview 200
4.2 Thepre-classicalstage:Vediclaw(c.1500BCtoc.500BC) 204
4.3 ClassicalHindulaw(c.500BCtoc.200AD) 209
4.4 LateclassicalHindulaw(c.500BCtoc.1100AD) 222
4.5 Post-classicalHindulaw(after1100) 234
4.6 MedievalHindulawunderMuslimdomination 237
4.7 Anglo-Hindulaw 239
4.8 ModernHindufamilylawinIndia 249
4.9 HindulegalconceptsandtheIndianConstitution 259
4.10 Searchingforcompositeappropriatenessinpostmodernity 273
5 Islamiclaw:God’slawormen’slaw? 279
5.1 UnderstandingIslamiclawfromalegalpluralistperspective 281
5.2 TheQur’anicbaseanditsapplication 289
5.3 TheProphet’sroles:leader,judgeandguide 294
5.4 EarlyIslamiclawaftertheProphet’sdeath 298
5.5 LegaldevelopmentsintheearlyMuslimempire:
theUmayyads 303
5.6 Scholar-juristsandtheAbbasids 309
5.7 Thecentralroleofjurists 312
5.7.1 Schoolsoflawandcompetingdoctrines 312
5.7.2 Shafi’ischemetounifyMuslimjurisprudence 315
5.7.3 Hadithcollectionsandthe‘Schachtcontroversy’ 319
5.8 ContinuingdiversitiesafterShafi’i 324
5.9 Judicialadministration:qadisandmuftis 330
5.10 Subsidiarysourcesoflaw 333
contents ix
5.11 Thepurportedclosingofthe‘gatesofijtihad’ 339
5.12 Theshifttowardslegalreforms 344
5.13 TurkeyasasecularMuslimcountry 354
5.14 PakistanilawandIslamisation 364
6 Africanlaws:thesearchforlaw 380
6.1 ThedenialofAfricancultureandlaws 385
6.2 ThesearchforAfricanlawandlegaltheory 390
6.3 ThenatureoftraditionalAfricanlaws 404
6.3.1 Reflectionsofearlyknowledge 404
6.3.2 Africanworldviewsandtheirconceptual
implications 407
6.3.3 Africanreligionsandsocio-ritualprocesses 413
6.3.4 Africancustomarylawasaself-controllingsystem 421
6.3.5 Disputesettlementprocessesinpre-colonialAfrica 435
6.4 Africanlawsundercolonialrule 444
6.4.1 Theprocessofcolonisation 445
6.4.2 ThecolonialimpactonAfricancustomarysystems 453
6.4.3 Thecolonialimpactondisputesettlementprocesses 459
6.5 Africanlawsinthepost-colonialperiod 464
6.5.1 ThecontinuingdevaluationofAfricantraditions 466
6.5.2 DebatesaboutcustominmodernAfricanlaws 470
6.5.3 Disputesettlementandtheproblemsoffinding
justice 477
6.5.4 Theunificationdebateasatoolfornation-building 480
6.6 Thefuture 485
7 Chineselaw:codeandconduct 493
7.1 ScholarlyrepresentationsofChineselaws 495
7.2 TraditionalChineseworldviewsintheirsocialand
legalcontext 502
7.2.1 Thecosmicdimension:tao 503
7.2.2 Self-controlledorder,Chinesestyle:li 505
7.2.3 ThesocialcontextoftraditionalChineselegal
regulation 512
7.2.4 Theplaceofcustomarylaws 518
7.3 TheclassicalChineselegalsystem:codesandwhatelse? 521
7.3.1 HistoricaloverviewofcodificationinChina 521
7.3.2 Theconceptualemphasisonpenallaw 523
7.3.3 Thekeyconceptoffaandtheinfluenceoflegalism 525
7.3.4 Confucianisationofthelaw 531
7.4 Thepracticalapplicationofthelaw 534
7.4.1 Theimperialcodesystemasaformalframework 535
7.4.2 TheEmperorasSonofHeaven 538
7.4.3 Theimperiallegalmachinery 541
7.4.4 Avoidanceofthelaw 547
7.4.5 Socialandritualdifferentiationinthelaw 555