Assessing the need for cultural expertise in civil proceedings: from Court’s discretion to the duty to supplement the judge’s extra-legal knowledge

The contribution analyzes cultural expertise, i.e., expert evidence provided by anthropologists, sociologists, ethnologists and the like, in disputes where cultural diversity comes to the fore. In the face of widespread skepticism with respect to the value of the contribution of such evidence, the author aims to demonstrate that there is no reason to adopt a different attitude with respect to the hard and soft sciences, and that respect for the intellectual and procedural due process is required in any case.