Willibald Steinmetz Books

The essays assembled here explore how private law historically helped to maintain, change, or upset inequalities common to all industrialized countries. The book deals with relations between lords and peasants, husbands and wives, masters and servants, landlords and tenants, and producers andconsumers.

Exploring the historical lineage of comparison, this volume offers multidisciplinary insights into its role from the early modern period to today. Each chapter examines how comparison fuels the dynamism of the modern world, detailing the methods by which assessors choose their units of analysis and criteria. It also delves into the implications of these comparisons, revealing who utilizes them and for what purposes, highlighting the pervasive influence of social quantification in contemporary society.