Published in 2010 and with over 8,700 copies sold, Calavita s book has already established itself as the leading introduction to the field of law and society. Everyone has some idea of what lawyers do. And most people have at least heard of criminologists. But, who knows what law and society is? It is, in fact, a rapidly-growing interdisciplinary field which turns on its head the conventional, idealized view of Law as a magisterial abstraction. Rather than look at law-on-the-books, the field focuses on law-in-action how law both shapes and manifests itself in the institutions and interactions of human society. This formative theme runs through Kitty Calavita s engagingly and concisely written book. Intended to introduce students and curious outsiders alike to the field, the book uses a conversational style to survey the field s prominent issues and distinctive approaches, from the ubiquity of law in everyday life to its potential and limits in effecting social change. For the second edition, Calavita has made changes throughout the book. updating the many illustrations and anecdotes used to clarify concepts and theories, so they may more directly resonate with the contemporary reader. There is also an entirely new chapter introducing the reader to the law and cultural studies movement that has become increasingly prominent in the field."

Kitty Calavita is Chancellor's Professor in the Departments of Criminology, Law and Society, and Sociology at the University of California, Irvine. She is the author of several volumes, most recently including Immigrants at the Margins: Law, Race, and Exclusion in Southern Europe.