Comparative law and society as Asian legal studies: the view from Australian law schools

Melissa Crouch

Chapter 12 in Research Handbook on Global Legal Education, 2026, pp 225-241 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: In the 21st century, legal education displays a paradox: despite the rise of Asia economically, socially and politically, the study of comparative law rarely includes Asian laws outside of law schools in Asia. In this chapter, I examine how law schools commit practically to comparative law and society by hiring scholars with such expertise and offering such subjects. I offer a case study of Asian legal studies in Australian law schools over the past seven decades (1960s–2020s). I find that Asian legal studies remain concentrated at a handful of law schools, resulting in a problem I describe as the ‘Asian Century gap’ in legal education. Closing this gap requires a renewed commitment to the study of comparative law and society as Asian legal studies through hiring choices and subject offerings. Such a commitment is necessary to ensure that our law students gain the benefits that an education in comparative law and society has to offer.

Keywords: Legal Education; Asian Legal Studies; Comparative Law and Society (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781788117005
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