The conventional criterion as a theoretical assumption for research in history of law: the case of the ius commune

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5380/rfdufpr.v67i2.85503

Keywords:

Conventional criterion. Ius commune. State law.

Abstract

The debate in legal theory is extremely important for research in legal history. The ius commune is an example to demonstrate the healthy relationship between these two scientific strands. Being a medieval legal experience, the ius commune has as its main characteristic the plurality of sources. As the dominant model of law in debates in legal theory is based on state monism, it is completely unfeasible as a theoretical tool for research on law in the Middle Ages. The objective of this article is to defend the insufficiency of the state model as a criterion for identifying law in historical research, to point out problems in contemporary theoretical proposals of law, to propose the conventional criterion as an alternative for research in the history of law and to demonstrate the incapacity of the traditional model to explain the institute of excommunication in the Manual de confessores y penitentes (Manual of Confessors) by the medieval theologian Martín de Azpilcueta (or, Doctor Navarrus), in the context of the ius commune. Through bibliographical research, it is concluded that the conventional model of law proposed by Brian Z. Tamanaha is a viable option to explain historically legal experiences such as the ius commune. The conventional criterion is defined, in a nutshell, by considering what the population under study conventionally considers as law. This theoretical framework is functional because it is open enough to facilitate the historical study of law from different perspectives, whether statal or not.

Author Biographies

Francisco Tarcísio Rocha Gomes Júnior, Universidade Federal do Ceará

Professor de Teoria da Constituição e Teoria Geral do Direito do Centro Universitário Unichristus. Doutorando em Direito Constitucional na UFC. Graduado em Direito pela UFC com período de mobilidade acadêmica na Universidade de Coimbra e mestre em Direito Constitucional pela UFC. Professor substituto do Departamento de Direito Público da Faculdade de Direito da UFC (2019-2020).

Gustavo César Machado Cabral, Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC)

Professor Adjunto da Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC). Bolsista de Produtividade do CNPq (Pq-2). Coordenador do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Direito da UFC (2020-2021). Foi pesquisador associado ao Instituto Max Planck para a História do Direito Europeu (Alemanha) (2017-2018). Doutor (com louvor) em História do Direito pela Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pós-Doutorado pelo Max-Planck-Institut für europäische Rechtsgeschichte (Alemanha), sob orientação do Prof. Dr. Thomas Duve. Foi Professor Visitante nas Universidade Autónoma de Madrid (Espanha), de Maastricht (Holanda) e Nova de Lisboa (Portugal). Líder do grupo de pesquisa “História do Direito: os caminhos da formação do direito brasileiro”. Orientador do Núcleo de Estudos sobre o Direito na América Portuguesa (NEDAP/UFC). Pesquisador da Red Columnaria. Membro dos seguintes grupos de pesquisa: Rede de História do Direito/ Legal History Network/ Red de Historia del Derecho (USP), Jesuítas nas Américas (UNISINOS) e A abertura metodológica da pesquisa do pensamento jurídico processual (UFPEL). Diretor (primeiro secretário) da Associação dos Docentes das Universidades Federais do Ceará (ADUFC) (2019-2021).

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Published

2022-08-30

How to Cite

Gomes Júnior, F. T. R., & Cabral, G. C. M. (2022). The conventional criterion as a theoretical assumption for research in history of law: the case of the ius commune. Revista Da Faculdade De Direito UFPR, 67(2), 129–151. https://doi.org/10.5380/rfdufpr.v67i2.85503

Issue

Vol. 67 No. 2 (2022)

Section

Artigos

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