Here’s a list of 100 methodologies, approaches, and techniques used in Legal Anthropology, the cross-disciplinary field that studies law within its cultural, social, and political contexts. These methods span ethnographic, comparative, historical, and critical frameworks.
Ethnographic Field Methods
- Participant Observation
- Structured Interviews
- Semi-Structured Interviews
- Unstructured Interviews
- Focus Groups
- Case Studies
- Life Histories
- Oral Histories
- Community Mapping
- Legal Ethnography
Documentary & Archival Research
- Archival Legal Research
- Court Record Analysis
- Historical Legal Document Analysis
- Legislative Record Review
- Colonial Archive Analysis
- Customary Law Codification Study
- Treaty Analysis
- Genealogical Method
- Textual Interpretation of Legal Codes
- Indigenous Record Analysis
Cross-Cultural & Comparative Methods
- Cross-Cultural Comparison of Legal Systems
- Comparative Customary Law
- Comparative Jurisprudence
- Legal Pluralism Mapping
- Transnational Law Analysis
- Diaspora Legal Norms Comparison
- Comparative Dispute Resolution
- Custom vs. Statutory Law Study
- Interlegal Encounters Analysis
- Multi-Jurisdictional Legal Study
Dispute & Conflict Resolution Studies
- Conflict Mediation Observation
- Arbitration Process Analysis
- Ritual Dispute Resolution Observation
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Analysis
- Negotiation Process Mapping
- Informal Justice Systems Study
- Peacebuilding and Justice Evaluation
- Transitional Justice Ethnography
- Vigilantism Studies
- Legal Consciousness Studies
Embedded Social & Cultural Methods
- Symbolic Anthropology of Law
- Legal Rituals Observation
- Customary Justice System Ethnography
- Kinship and Law Analysis
- Religious Law Ethnography
- Sharia/Canon Law Ethnography
- Indigenous Jurisprudence Analysis
- Witchcraft & Sorcery Legal Cases
- Family and Clan-Based Legal Systems
- Sacred Law & Taboo Studies
Language, Narrative & Legal Talk
- Legal Discourse Analysis
- Narrative Theory in Law
- Speech Act Theory in Courtroom Talk
- Courtroom Interactional Analysis
- Translation in Legal Contexts
- Legal Language vs. Everyday Language
- Language Ideologies in Law
- Linguistic Anthropology of Law
- Legal Pragmatics
- Trial Storytelling and Performance Analysis
Critical Theories & Postcolonial Approaches
- Critical Legal Anthropology
- Postcolonial Legal Theory
- Decolonial Law Studies
- Structural Violence & Law
- Feminist Legal Anthropology
- Queer Legal Anthropology
- Marxist Legal Anthropology
- Critical Race Legal Analysis
- Intersectionality in Legal Practices
- Legal Power Structures Analysis
Quantitative & Mixed-Method Approaches
- Legal Survey Research
- Crime Mapping in Cultural Contexts
- Case Law Frequency Analysis
- Statistical Analysis of Legal Outcomes
- Mixed Ethnographic-Statistical Studies
- GIS Mapping of Legal Disputes
- Demographic-Legal Analysis
- Network Analysis of Legal Actors
- Legal Outcome Predictive Modeling
- Quantitative Justice Studies
Institutional & Bureaucratic Studies
- Court Ethnography
- Law Enforcement Practices Analysis
- Bureaucratic Decision-Making Studies
- Legal Aid and NGO Fieldwork
- Law School Curriculum Ethnography
- Customary vs. Formal Bureaucracies
- State Law and Local Practice Study
- Transnational Legal Institutions Analysis
- Governmental Regulation Ethnography
- Public Defender Office Observation
Emerging, Digital & Global Contexts
- Digital Justice Platforms Analysis
- Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) Studies
- Blockchain and Law Anthropology
- AI in Legal Decision-Making Research
- International Human Rights Ethnography
- Legal Tech & Cultural Impacts
- Cyberlaw & Digital Norms Studies
- Legal Activism and Social Media
- Surveillance and Legal Control Ethnography
- Climate Change & Environmental Law in Cultural Contexts