BOOK REVIEW: Ron HARRIS on An empire of laws: legal pluralism in British colonial policy by Christian R. Burset (Comparative Legal History, XIII (2025), nr. 1, June, pp. 146-149)

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Christian Burset’s first book, An Empire of Laws, is brilliant. It should be of particular interest to the readers of this journal, as it makes an important addition to the theoretical toolkit available to comparative legal historians. The book explores Britain’s legal policy at a crucial time in the history of the British Empire. During and following the Seven Years’ War (1756–63), Britain expanded its Empire. Hitherto, most of the British colonies were settled by British farmers and plantation and slave owners, which brought about an opportunity for the English common law to be received in the colonies. However, these new territories were formerly ruled by the Spanish, French, or Mughal Empires. Accordingly, the question arose as to whether the common law should be extended to these newly acquired colonies, notwithstanding that they were not settled by English immigrants in large numbers, or at all. Should the new colonial rulers maintain the pre-existing legal systems of these colonies? Alternatively, should a mixture of the differing legal systems be implemented? Thirteen years later, Britain lost many of its former settler colonies in the American War of Independence. At this juncture, much of the Empire was not comprised of British settlers, and imperial legal policy became a major issue. Burset makes a significant scholarly contribution by explaining the background and the issues at stake in this formative period, 1760-1780.

To read the full review, please click here. Online access is free for members of the European Society for Comparative Legal History. 

DOI: 10.1080/2049677X.2025.2500209