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Comparative law is undergoing a rapid evolution, particularly when compared to the descriptive methodology that characterized the field prior to the 1950s. Beginning around that time, comparative law scholars began to embrace more analytical approaches in their studies, and as a result drew novel conclusions about causes and consequences of legal rules. In moving beyond mere description, comparativists showed that common elements behind what appeared to be different legal rules, and similarly, revealing substantive differences across legal systems that appeared to have uniform black letter law.1 Since its formation in 1951, the American Society of Comparative Law (ASCL) has sought to serve as a scholarly forum for the field of comparative legal studies and provide researchers with a broad understanding of the utility of comparative studies. This utility has only increased since its founding, serving not only those within specifically the law community, but also more broadly within the social and behavioral sciences. We hope that the contributions published in this symposium issue of the American Journal of Comparative Law (AJCL) serve that goal and show comparative law scholars how their skills and tools may be useful to those outside their discipline and the study of law.
