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Abstract

Social law is arguably the legal discipline that most explicitly refers to society, yet this very designation is doubly misleading—first because of the nature of law's object, and second because of the plurality of meanings carried by the term "social." Jurists consistently stress that "social law" cannot designate a branch of law devoted to studying society, as commercial law studies merchants and commercial acts, since all law is defined by reference to the rules governing relations within society. Likewise, because "social" is commonly opposed to "economic," the term is often misused to denote moral or humanitarian action, evoking organized forms of assistance. This article argues that the label is purely conventional: its content cannot be deduced from the expression itself but derives from the evolution of European—particularly French—legislation and legal education. The author warns that transposing this concept into other social realities imports linguistic uncertainties and risks confusing the social contexts of the originating and receiving countries.

DOI

10.66499/2665-7112.1672

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