Custom and the Law
Paul de Deckker
and Jean-Yves Faberon (eds)
[Price: A$30.00 (GST
inclusive)/US$25.00,2001,186pp, ISBN 0 7315 3661 4]
Published by Asia
Pacific Press
Throughout the
world today, traditional and customary ways are reclaiming their place in
society. In particular, customary legal systems are being revived or
rejuvenated, reflecting the belief that they are more useful, appropriate and
practical in some contexts than systems imposed by colonial powers. Often,
however, this has led to conflict between the real imperatives of customary
and traditional practice and the more formal strictures of Western legal
systems. In this English translation of Custom and the Law, a wide array of
specialists discuss the critical aspects of the often tense relationship
between indigenous custom and tradition and externally-imposed Western
societal structures. Although concentrating on the situation in the French
Overseas Territories, Custom and the Law is a valuable contribution to the
emerging global discussion on this complex issue.
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