History of Laws is a subject that - by placing law in a wider context (chronological, international, philosophical and political) - provides knowledge and understanding of the development and current existence of law. Although the source material may occasionally be shared with other academic disciplines - historians, philosophers and philologists, to name a few - the driving force behind the research and teaching carried out by legal scholars at Stockholm University is that the subject should be perceived as a legal discipline, as is evident from both the choice of method and the aim.
Often, research in legal history is based on the study of current law, which is given an additional dimension by being seen in the light of legal thought of earlier times (historical-comparative, or legal-genetic method). In this way, the subject can contribute in-depth knowledge of important contemporary issues such as integration, freedom of expression, the right of cohabitation, child labour, copyright, religious law and labour law. Other important fields of research are the history of jurisprudence and legal methodology.