<![CDATA[This article critically reviews Werner Menski’s seminal work, Comparative Law in a Global Context: The Legal Systems of Asia and Africa (2006). Menski offers a compelling critique of conventional Western comparative jurisprudence, arguing that it remains parochial and Eurocentric due to its exclusive focus on state-centric legal positivism. As an alternative, he proposes the Triangular Model of Legal Pluralism, conceptualizing law as a continuous dynamic interaction among three primary elements: natural/religious values, state positive law, and socio-cultural realities. This analytical framework is subsequently applied to examine major non-Western legal traditions, including the cosmic justice of Hindu law, the dialectic between divine sharia and human fiqh in Islamic law, the resilience of African customary laws against colonial legacies, and the synthesis of formal codes and moral conduct in Chinese law. Ultimately, Menski demonstrates that imposing uniform global legal standards is futile, reaffirming that legitimate and effective law inevitably reflects local socio-cultural particularities.]]>
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