Legal History and History of Society - Methodological Issues and Research Problems

This is a conference held in April 1985 in the context of the discussions on relationships between history and social sciences promoted by the so-called Annales school. How can we build bridges between legal history and history of society in terms of research methods and problems? Understanding law as the juridical dimension of social phenomena, Sbriccoli argues that law cannot be subsidiary in certain research on social practices and that legal historians cannot isolate themselves, they should desdisciplinarize themselves, while maintaining the autonomy of the area, in order to dialogue with history of society, so that an effective exchange can take place. In short, “it is necessary to become bilingual to live and operate in a world that is structurally bilingual”.

Keywords:
Legal History; History of Society; Annales School; Methodology