Over the past two decades the interdisciplinary research and teaching field Law and the
Humanities has established itself especially at American universities. It provides new
approaches to legal systems from the perspective of various disciplines of the humanities and
places relations and connections within a cultural context. Based on this interdisciplinary
approach this volume offers contributions to a whole variety of U.S. legal issues - from the
birth of the Constitution to tort law and criminal justice. From their perspective of the
Austrian legal system legal scholars deal with various aspects of legal theory and practice
while Americanists analyze characteristics of this legal system in their cultural context
drawing on historical documents as well as on literature and film. The book presents an
exciting European perspective on this transatlantic legal complexity upon the background of its
culture and history.
