China Social Science Review

No.3, 2024

 

Review of Contemporary Chinese Legal Anthropology Research

(Abstract)

 

Wang Weichen

 

Research on the construction of the rule of law in contemporary China is the foundation of legal anthropology. Contemporary Chinese legal anthropology has made great progress in the research of legal ethnography, the systematization of the discipline, and international exchange. Its development can be divided into three stages according to the main indicators or elements, such as research objects, research path, research methods, and interaction with foreign countries, namely, the stage of restoration and reconstruction: from the 1980s to the end of the 1990s; the stage of rise and revitalization: from the 2000s to the 21st century; and the stage of expansion and deepening: from the 2010s onwards. In terms of scale, disciplines, regions, topics and international interaction, contemporary Chinese legal anthropology is characterized by remarkable development, but at the same time, there are some shortcomings and a lack of original contributions to the theory of legal anthropology in the world. Looking ahead, Chinese legal anthropology has a lot of directions to continue its efforts both internally and externally.