New Book Series: methodica - Einführungen in die rechtshistorische Forschung

The first two volumes of a new series methodica – Einführungen in die rechtshistorische Forschung (methodica - Introductions to Research in Legal History), which is edited by members of the Max Planck Institute for European Legal History, have been published by De Gruyter Oldenbourg.

The volumes, each of which covers a different topic, are conceived as introductions to research in legal history and provide basic information in a standard format without claiming the completeness of a handbook, including: the history of research and sources, methods, the craft of legal history and basic literature on the respective topics.

The first volume, written by Wim Decock and Christiane Birr, analyses Recht und Moral in der Scholastik der Frühen Neuzeit 1500-1750 (Law and Morality in Early Modern Scholasticism, approx. 1500–1750): »Studies of early modern scholasticism are currently experiencing a boom. Legal scholars, philosophers, theologians, and economists are approaching the texts of the ›Spanish late scholastics‹ and ›Catholic natural law theorists‹ from the perspectives of their respective disciplines. Beginners and experts alike will find the tools in this volume to conduct independent research on the sources and interdisciplinary insight regarding the state of research.«

In volume 2, Peter Collin broaches the issue of Privat-staatliche Regelungsstrukturen im frühen Industrie- und Sozialstaat (Private-Public Regulatory Structures in the Early Industrial and Welfare State): »In private-public regulatory structures, decisions are made collectively, with each side possessing consultative rights at the very minimum. Such structures are often amalgams of purely private law relationships and publicly constituted chains of command. Currently discussed in terms of ›governance‹ and ›regulated self-regulation‹, their origins go back to the 19th century. This volume presents their history and opens further research perspectives.«