This is a timely new edition of Sharyn L. Roach Anleu's invaluable introduction to the sociology of law and its role as a social institution and social process. Discussing current theory and key empirical research from a diverse range of perspectives the book gives relevant examples, from various cultures and societies, to provide a sociological view which goes beyond more jurisprudential approaches to law and society. This thoroughly updated edition engages with modern scholarship, and recent research, on globalization while also looking at related issues such as the internationalization of law and human rights.