The Discipline of Law: A Developmental and Historical Perspective

Abstract

This paper seeks to add to our image of the discipline of law from a perspective which combines ideas from developmental psychology and history. It begins by arguing for a working notion of the discipline for historians and educators which, although confined to the English common law tradition, is still broad enough to encompass the various shapes and forms of law within that tradition. It then seeks to view the discipline, so delineated, through the lens of developmental psychology. Finally, it argues for the centrality of courts, before seeking to draw some implications for learning and researching law in Australia today.