Call for Papers: The Changing Role of Scholarship in International Law

The Leiden Journal of International Law has issued a call for papers for a symposium on "The Changing Role of Scholarship in International Law," which will take place on May 11, 2015, in The Hague. Here's the call:

LJIL Symposium

11 May 2014 | The Hague

The Changing Role of Scholarship in International Law

Keynote by Martti Koskenniemi

LJIL has started to reflect on the changing role and function of scholarship in International Law. The role and concept of scholarship, including its foundations, methods and limits are in transition. This development opens up a wide array of questions and debates that are likely to remain at the forefront of academic thinking and research agendas in the next decade(s). The symposium presents an excellent opportunity to deepen discussion and reflection. It would present an occasion to reflect on the future of legal scholarship from different perspectives from within and beyond the Leiden Journal.

We invite papers to be submitted on the changing role of scholarship in international law. Possible themes include, and are not limited to:

I. Production of International Legal Scholarship

- What is considered ‘scholarship’ in International Law? To what extent are conceptions of scholarship tied to divergent schools of thought and disciplinary approaches/boundaries?

- How do different fields/traditions position themselves inside/outside International Law? Is there something like ‘mainstream’ and ‘periphery’?

- How have methods of scholarship changed over time? To what extent is International Law open to social science methods, and what are the implications of this for the development of scholarship? Relatedly: where does scholarship stop to be that of international law?

II. Scholarship and its relation to legal practice

- What is the nexus between scholarship and practice in International Law? How has it evolved over time?

- To what extent is scholarship a formal source of international law? How has it contributed to the development of International Law?

- To what extent and how is scholarship treated and received in judicial reasoning and decision-making ? To what extent do separate/dissenting opinions reflect scholarship?

III. Future of International Legal Scholarship

- What is the impact of new technologies on the understanding of scholarship? How does it affect production?

- What is the future role of Journals and publications? Who owns the intellectual property/copyright of scholarship? How can we embrace diversity and a more global perspective on scholarship?

- How can we determine impact of scholarship in International Law? How far can International Law grow as discipline?

Submission of Proposals and the Timeline

- Paper proposals should include a description of maximum 500 words and the applicant’s curriculum vitae.

- Email to: ljil@law.leidenuniv.nl.

- The deadline is 12 December 2014. Selected participants will be notified by 22 December. Participants are expected to submit draft papers by 1 May.

- We plan to publish a selection of the contributions in the LJIL.

- Please note that we can contribute to travelling and accommodation expenses, but of a select number of participants only.

On behalf of the LeidenJIL,

Eric de Brabandere,

Carsten Stahn, and

Ingo Venzke