Perhaps no idea is more emblematic of the field of law and society than crossing boundaries. From the founding of the Law and Society Association in the early 1960s, participating scholars aspired to create a field that crossed boundaries in at least two senses: by undertaking research that questioned and often bridged traditional methodological and disciplinary divisions, and by using nontraditional approaches to explore the interconnections between law and its social context. These essays reflect both aspirations. "These essays may strike a chord--or a nerve—with the professional lawyer. But they will provoke deeper reflection on the paradoxical relationship between law and the society that first creates it and then is controlled by it. That reflection will be time well spent, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the LSA essays." — Federal Lawyer AUSTIN SARAT is the Oliver Wendell Holmes Professor of Law and Jurisprudence at Amherst College.