This Major Reference series brings together a wide range of key international articles in law and legal theory. Many of these essays are not readily accessible, and their presentation in these volumes will provide a vital new resource for both research and teaching. Each volume is edited by leading international authorities who explain the significance and context of articles in an informative and complete introduction.

The essays in this volume offer global perspectives on crucial contemporary issues such as economic development, the persistence of customary law, "offshore" jurisdictions, family law and succession, land tenure, the forging of national constitutions, human rights violations, and the treatment of ethnic minorities. They portray the laws of Asian and African countries as equal manifestations of legal culture in a shrinking world. Rendering Asian and African legal systems and traditions in an accessible form to a non-Asian and non-African audience, this volume will sharpen the sensitivity of...