“Reconstruction of Legal Research Paradigms: From Positivism to Post-Positivism in the Context of Doctoral Dissertations” (Focus: Paradigm Shifts (Positivism, Progressive, Critical) and Their Implications for Doctoral-Level Research)

Authors

  • Kms Herman Universitas Borobudur, Jakarta, Indonesia.
  • Lorraine Rangga Boro Universitas Borobudur, Jakarta, Indonesia.
  • A Tricho Dike Fierrera Universitas Borobudur, Jakarta, Indonesia.
  • Sunardi Universitas Borobudur, Jakarta, Indonesia.
  • Kaisar Julio Universitas Borobudur, Jakarta, Indonesia.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.38035/gijlss.v4i3.1039

Keywords:

legal paradigm, positivism, post-positivism, progressive law, legal philosophy, doctoral research

Abstract

This study examines the implications of the paradigm shift in legal research from a legalistic-positivist orientation toward post-positivist and progressive-critical approaches within doctoral legal scholarship. The research is motivated by the increasing recognition that legal positivism, while contributing to legal certainty and systematic legal reasoning, is limited in addressing complex social realities and substantive justice. Employing a normative legal research method with conceptual and philosophical approaches, this study analyzes paradigms of legal thought based on ontological, epistemological, and axiological dimensions as formulated in the framework of Guba and Lincoln. The analysis further engages with major legal theories, including legal positivism, legal realism, critical legal theory, constructivism, and progressive legal thought. The findings indicate that positivism emphasizes legal certainty and objectivity through formal normative structures, while post-positivism introduces epistemological reflexivity and methodological pluralism by acknowledging the limitations of knowledge. Critical legal theory challenges the neutrality of law by revealing its embedded power relations and transformative potential, whereas progressive legal thought advances a human-centered paradigm that prioritizes substantive justice and social welfare. The study concludes that the paradigm shift in legal research reflects a broader transformation in legal philosophy from formal legality toward substantive justice. This shift repositions law as a dynamic social institution that must respond to human needs, social context, and moral responsibility. Ultimately, the progressive paradigm reinforces the role of law as an instrument for social transformation and the advancement of human dignity.

References

Collins Dictionary of Anthropology. (Glasgow: Harper Collins Publishers, 1991).

E. Indarti, 2007, Komparasi berbagai Aliran Filsafat Hukum: Suatu Kajian Filsafat Hukum. Laporan Penelitan. Majalah Ilmiah FH Unissula, Jurnal Hukum, Vol. XVII, No. 3, September 2007.

Guba, E. G., & Lincoln, Y. S. (1994). Competing paradigms in qualitative research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 105–117). Sage Publications.

H. Chand, Modern Jurisprudence, Kuala Lumpur: International Law Book Services, 1994.

H. McCoubrey dan N.D. White, Textbook on Jurisprudence, London: Blackstone Press Limited, 1993.

N.K. Denzin dan Y.S. Linkoln, Handbook of Qualitative Research, London, Sage Publications, 1994.

Neufeldt, V. E. (Ed.). (1988). Webster's New World Dictionary of American English (3rd college ed.). Simon & Schuster.

Norman K. Denzin, Yvonna S. Lincoln, “Competing Paradigms in Qualitative Research (Sage Handbooks”, (California: Sage Publications Inc, 1994).

R. Wacks, Jurisprudence, London, Blackstone Press Limited, 1995.

R.L. Abel, The Law and Society Reader, New York, New York University Press, 1995.

Satjipto Rahardjo, ilmu Hukum, (Bandung: Citra Aditya Bakti, 2000).

Shidarta. Hukum Penalaran dan Penalaran Hukum. (Yogyakarta: Genta Publishing, 2013).

Suteki. Rethinking Habitus Boerdiou in Ataining Substansive Justice. 2012. Symposium in Pieree Bourdiou. UNNES.

Downloads

Published

2026-08-23

How to Cite

Herman, K., Boro, L. R., Fierrera, A. T. D., Sunardi, S., & Julio, K. (2026). “Reconstruction of Legal Research Paradigms: From Positivism to Post-Positivism in the Context of Doctoral Dissertations” (Focus: Paradigm Shifts (Positivism, Progressive, Critical) and Their Implications for Doctoral-Level Research). Greenation International Journal of Law and Social Sciences, 4(3), 859–869. https://doi.org/10.38035/gijlss.v4i3.1039

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 3 (2026): (GIJLSS) Greenation International Journal of Law and Social Sciences (July - August 2026)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Kms Herman, Lorraine Rangga Boro, A Tricho Dike Fierrera, Sunardi, Kaisar Julio

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Copyright :

Authors who publish their manuscripts in this journal agree to the following conditions:

  1. Copyright in each article belongs to the author.
  2. The author acknowledges that the Greenation International Journal of Law and Social Sciences (GIJLSS) has the right to be the first to publish under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (Attribution 4.0 International CC BY 4.0).
  3. Authors can submit articles separately, arrange the non-exclusive distribution of manuscripts that have been published in this journal to other versions (for example, sent to the author's institutional repository, publication in a book, etc.), by acknowledging that the manuscript has been published for the first time at GIJLSS.