Carbonnier, Jean (1908–2003)

For over a half century, Jean Carbonnier embodied, within the international community of jurists, the French “specificity” in civil law, legal sociology, and the science of legislation. He held the Chair of Civil Law at the Poitiers Law Faculty (1937–1955), where [Page 159]he served as dean, before moving to Paris (1955–1976). He was also president of the editorial committee for the journal L'Année sociologique.

Carbonnier succeeded Georges Gurvitch (1894–1965) as lecturer in legal sociology at the Sorbonne in 1965, before introducing this subject to the Paris Law Faculty, where he headed the Laboratory of Legal Sociology, originally established by Henri Lévy-Bruhl (1884–1964). He supported the creation of the Research Committee on Sociology of Law (ISA), as well as the foundation of the Oñati International Institute for ...