ON HISTORICAL AND HISTORICAL-LEGAL RESEARCH: FORMS, CHALLENGES AND METHODOLOGIES

Abstract

The present study intended to understand the meaning, forms and challenges in legal-historical research to suggest a general framework for the researchers doing legal-historical research. After deploying the doctrinal research method, the current study found that there is scarcity of guidelines for legal researcher to carry out historical research in law. The existing literature on methodology for legal-historical research studies do not offer a detailed methodology to carry out historical-legal research. The present study, after analyzing the meaning, forms, challenges and various methodologies, suggests seven-step methodology to carry out historical research in law. It is hoped that the present study will enable legal researchers to devise a comprehensive methodology for doing historical-legal studies.

Key Words: Research, Historical Research, Historical-Legal research, Types of Research, Internal and External Research, Methodology of Historical-Legal Research.