ABSTRACT
Although both studies remain historically and theoretically important, these laws arose in a nation and era that were certainly not democratic, leaving unclear the relevance of these studies for democratic nations. Evidence of law and inequality in the United States would thus provide more compelling evidence for the conflict perspective and for more specific contemporary perspectives on law, society, and inequality (critical legal studies, critical race theory, and feminist legal theory; see Chapter 2) and also have important implications for social and legal policy.
