Nordic Law - Between Tradition and Dynamism

In traditional comparative law studies, the Nordic legal systems are dealt with only in passing. Despite the geographically peripheral location, the Nordic societies have, however, achieved a great deal. What is Nordic law all about, then? In this book a group of comparatively minded legal scholars explores the mentality underlying Nordic law and seeks to explain its relationship with both long-term cultural tradition and the forces that account for its historical continuity. How was Nordic law transformed into a vehicle of social change, progress and instrumentalism? The fundamental claim of this book, consisting of a variety of essays, is that Nordic law has for centuries already been informed by an inclusive and status-oriented view of social justice and social ethics, a view which has been relevant to the general outlining of the legal systems, and which has survived many processes of social and cultural transformation.