Online Symposium “Empirical Turn”

Ten years ago, German legal researcher Niels Petersen published an academic manifesto (in German, accompanied by an abstract in English) analysing whether continental jurisprudence might need an “empirical turn”. His article provoked various responses, including a sharply worded backlash by Ino Augsberg who criticized the “recent empiricist tone in jurisprudence”. Ten years later, we revisit the debate in an Online Symposium by Law’s|Empirics. Are we any wiser today? Did the passage of time vindicate one view or the other? Or was the disagreement solely about words, maybe even a misunderstanding? Our symposium lets both authors revisit the issue and update the debate, in addition to other contributors whom we asked about their views.

All symposium articles are only available in German. If you read German, please click the flag in the top menu and you will be guided to the symposium overview with a detailed list of contributions.

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Hanjo Hamann is a professor of private law, business and intellectual property law. He is currently based at EBS University of Business and Law in Wiesbaden, Germany. He is also an editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Language & Law (JLL), and visiting researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods.
Emanuel V. Towfigh is a University Professor of Law holding the Chair in Public Law, Empirical Legal Research and Law & Economics at EBS Law School, as well as a Professor for Law and Economics at EBS Business School; he is also a Research Affiliate at the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods. His current research mainly deals with the theory of democracy, the digitalization of law, legal education including the principles of teaching law, and anti-discrimination law.
Suggested Citation
Hamann and Towfigh, Online Symposium "Empirical Turn", LAW’S|EMPIRICS, 11/20/20, DOI: 10.25527/re.2020.06