Methodology: Positive Law and Empirical Legal Research: What Are the Stakes for Human Rights?

This seminar offers an introduction to the contributions of empirical legal research. It highlights the complementarity between positive law and the empirical approach, demonstrating how the latter enables the observation of law within its social, political, and practical context. The seminar addresses the construction of a relevant research question, methods of data collection, and the importance of adopting a critical and reflexive stance. The objective is to demonstrate how empirical research provides a renewed perspective on law and contributes to its development, particularly in the field of human rights.