SOCIOLOGICAL JURISPRUDENCE: IT’S HISTORY, APPLICATIONS AND TRENDS

Sociological jurisprudence is a legal theory which is the result of understanding the sociology of law. It deals with the question on how does law affect society. This paper traced the personal and professional attributes that shaped the proponents‟ ideas and arguments for sociological jurisprudence and the factors that contributed to this juristic thought. It further identified the applications and trends of jurisprudence anchored on social sciences specifically the sociological jurisprudence. It used the historic-genetic approach of research method. The identification of proponents was mainly based on Fernando‟s A Course in Legal Theory and the Routledge‟s Jurisprudence 2010-2011. Result showed that the emergence of sociological jurisprudence was caused by the growth of social sciences in the later part of the 19th century. Legal formalism which was heavily represented by positivism served as a precursor to this juristic school. The birth of sociology in Europe as a new science and the pragmatism in USA paved the way for its wider acceptance.