Transnational Law: Theories and Applications

Abstract This chapter introduces the Oxford Handbook of Transnational Law. Transnational law is at the center of lively discussions ranging from pronouncing the death of law to announcing the renewal of law. With stakes that high, the expectations for this field are potentially overwhelming. It is still unsettled what transnational law is. It was introduced to a wide audience of international lawyers in the 1950s, but is it a “new” legal field, or a particular kind of jurisprudence of “law and globalization,” or a sociolegal approach to law’s transformation in and beyond the state in the twenty-first century, or merely a synonym for legal pluralism, that is, an acknowledgment of the co-existence of law and (social, cultural, economic, religious, and other) norms? Finally, what is transnational law’s relation to the nation-state? While some suggest it marks the “end” of the nation-state, the better arguments suggest it remains closely intertwined with the state’s trials and tribulations. The chapter reviews contributions to these discussions but cannot account for the entire wealth and depth which is transnational law today. Instead, the chapter highlights some of the debates around the facets of transnational law and sketches a number of methodological reflections about the field. The contributing authors to this Handbook offer formidable insights into the complex details of law’s transnationalization in a wide range of key areas of the law and contextualize these developments against the background of the important normative discussions around the future of law in a globalized world.