Call for Papers: 2011 ILA British Branch Spring Conference

The International Law Association British Branch has issued a call for papers for its 2011 spring conference, which will be hosted by the Sheffield Centre for International and European Law at the University of Sheffield on April 28-29, 2011. A pre-conference workshop for first and second year MPhil / PhD students will be held the day before. The conference theme is "States, Peoples and Minorities: Whither the Nation in International Law?" Here's the call:

Call for Papers

International Law Association (ILA) British Branch

Spring Conference 2011

"States, peoples and minorities: whither the

nation in international law?"

The Sheffield Centre for International and European Law at the University of Sheffield is pleased to host the 2011 ILA British Branch Spring Conference on Thursday 28 – Friday 29 April 2011.

Keynote Speaker: Professor James Crawford, University of Cambridge

Closing Plenary Speaker: Emeritus Professor John Merrills, University of Sheffield

A pre-conference workshop for first and second year MPhil / PhD students will be held on Wednesday 27 April 2011 (please see below for further details).

Call for Papers

1) All colleagues wishing to present a paper must submit an abstract of no more than 500 words and a short cv to d.french@sheffield.ac.uk by 1st December 2010. Final year PhD students are actively encouraged to submit proposals.

2) A submitted abstract must fall within one of the following themes (which must be identified directly underneath the title of the proposal):

• statehood in international law: reassessing the Montevideo criteria
• self-determination and peoples: recent developments
• the power and politics of recognition
• post-‘Kosovo’: future directions and new challenges in international law
• minorities in international law
• the concept of ‘nationhood’ in international law
• federalism, territorial autonomy and other internal divisions in international law
• regionalism and supranationalism – a challenge to the State?
• the liberal State in international law
• the failed State in international law
• the contested State in international law: Taiwan and other perennial controversies

3) Colleagues will be notified whether their paper has been accepted for presentation by 7 January 2011. Presentations will be limited to 15 minutes in length.

4) Colleagues selected to present a paper must make all efforts to submit an original, fully-referenced paper of between 6,000-8,000 words by 15 April 2011 (those papers submitted by this date will be available to access for participants via a secure website).

5) It is intended to seek a contract with a leading publisher for an edited collection of papers and those papers submitted by the deadline will be more favourably considered for publication.

6) All colleagues who wish to attend the conference, whether accepted to give a paper or not, must confirm attendance by 30 March 2011 by registering online. Online registration will open in November 2010 (this will include further details on venue, registration fees, conference dinner, accommodation, travel links, et cetera).

7) Due to the likely high number of colleagues making presentations, there will unfortunately be no reduced fee for speakers.

8) All inquiries arising from this call for papers should be directed to Professor Duncan French (Deputy Head, Sheffield Law School & Director of the Sheffield Centre for International and European Law): d.french@sheffield.ac.uk (tel: +44 (0)114 2226849).

Pre-Conference MPhil / PhD Workshop

The School of Law is hosting a one-day workshop on Wednesday 27 April 2011 prior to the ILA Conference. The workshop, to be held at Sheffield Law School, will be for a maximum of twenty-five MPhil and PhD students in their first and second year of study. The workshop is open to all students undertaking research on any aspect of public or private international law.

There is no fee for the workshop. Individual students will be required to fund travel and accommodation themselves; refreshments during the day will be provided by Sheffield Law School. Students will also be able to take advantage of a reduced fee for the ILA conference itself.

Opportunities will be available during the day for short presentations of students’ work-to-date as well as more general discussions on the PhD process.

Please indicate interest by sending an email to Miss Sarah Beedham (s.beedham@shef.ac.uk) including both a brief outline of your MPhil / PhD proposal and a short cv. Selection will take into account the need for appropriate broad coverage of topics, institutions, theoretical approaches, and years of study. Closing date for expressions of interest: 1 December 2010. Successful applicants will be notified by 15 January 2011.

Details on suitable accommodation and other details will be sent to successful applicants.