Der Staat als Genossenschaft

Otto von Gierke (1841–1921) has had a lasting influence on key terms and concepts related to the modern understanding of the state. This volume is divided into three systematic parts, in which Gierke's political and legal thinking is analysed from the different specialist perspectives of sociology, history, political science and jurisprudence. The focus of these different perspectives is his organic understanding of law and the state, which he consciously developed in different genres. At the same time, it also becomes clear what, if anything, can be taken from Otto von Gierke’s ideas for our own contemporary understanding of the state. The principle of subsidiarity and Gierke's strong emphasis on the role of communities and corporations below the state level, for example, make this particularly tangible.
Gierke's work develops the relationship between cooperative law and constitutional law, thus succeeding in developing an innovative, organic understanding of law and the state on the basis of a comprehensive historical analysis.
Prof. Dr. Peter Schröder is Professor of the History of Political Thought in the Department of History at University College London.

With contributions by
Niall Bond, Martin Espenhorst, Ben Holland, Céline Jouin, Jasper Kunstreich, Peter Nitschke, Tilman Repgen, Joachim Rückert, Jan Schröder, Peter Schröder and Helga Spindler.