Carlo Nardi-Greco: The Very First Theoretical Approach to Sociology Of Law
Carlo Nardi-Greco: The Very First Theoretical Approach to Sociology Of Law

Summary/Abstract: The rise of Sociology of law has traditionally been linked to the book published in 1912 by Eugen Ehrlich, who has always been considered the first to have challenged definitions of law in terms of state law. Nonetheless in 1907 the Italian jurist Carlo Nardi-Greco wrote Sociologia giuridica: the very first book specifically and entirely devoted to the theoretical assessment of the discipline of sociology of law. In this paper, by referring to Maria Ausilia Simonelli's ideas (2004) on Carlo Nardi-Greco's prior contribution, actually turning the tide about the place and the date of birth of the of sociology of law worldwide, I will riefly focus on a few interesting topics, in order to suggest just some opportunities for reflection. The first point I would like to draw attention to is why Italy was the birthplace of sociology of law and, yet, at the same time, why is that Carlo Nardi-Greco's book suffered from a kind of 'structural amnesia'; then I will touch upon the legal pluralism proposed by Nardi-Greco and the contribution of ethnological jurisprudence to his work; finally I would like to point out how he can be considered a pathfinder for the importance given to the psychological dimension of legal phenomena too. The aim is to show how the book of this forerunner social scientist and his theory can help us to reflect upon the past, the present and the future of sociology of law considered as an important, maybe fundamental and essential social science for our time.

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