The Force of a Weak Field: Law and Lawyers in the Government of the European Union (For a Renewed Research Agenda)

Content Provider	Semantic Scholar
Author	Vauchez, Antoine
Copyright Year	2008
Abstract	Rather than considering legal and judicial arenas as the mere surface of the weighty social processes that shape European integration, this article contends that they are actually one of the essential spaces where the government of Europe is being produced. To account for this paramount role played by law in EU polity, two hitherto unexplored research paths are followed. First of all, a socio-historical perspective focuses on the critical junctures at which Law has been formalized as a science of European government providing critical devices for integration. Second, a more sociological stance is taken in relation to the functioning of the ‘‘European legal field’’ (ELF). A preliminary inquiry leads to its characterization as weak, with porous internal and external borders. This article argues that this weak autonomy is what makes it strong and influential when it comes to shaping the representations and principles of EU government.
Starting Page	128
Ending Page	144
Page Count	17
File Format	PDF HTM / HTML
DOI	10.1111/j.1749-5687.2008.00040.x
Volume Number	2
Alternate Webpage(s)	http://www.blenderlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/vauchezips.pdf
Alternate Webpage(s)	https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-5687.2008.00040.x
Language	English
Access Restriction	Open
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article