Call for Papers: Socio-Legal Studies in Germany and the UK: Theory and methods

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 23–24 September 2019

The SLSA and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin’s Law Department are hosting an international workshop to explore the different traditions of socio-legal studies in the UK and Germany. The workshop will be held from 23–24 September 2019 at Humboldt University’s Law and Society Institute (LSI). The keynote lecture will be delivered by Professor Dr Susanne Baer (German Constitutional Court).

We invite papers that seek to understand the influence of institutional contexts and scholarly traditions upon the development of those approaches that come under the banner of socio-legal studies.
The workshop has three core aims:

• to consider how different academic traditions and institutional contexts have influenced the development of socio-legal research in Germany and the UK;
• to scrutinise theoretical and methodological approaches with a view to exploring similarities and differences in both contexts; and
• to start an initial dialogue among participants, and to publish the research resulting from these interactions with a view to forging closer ties across the German and UK socio-legal communities, and to facilitating future connections and collaborations.

To achieve these aims, the workshop will reflect upon the similarities and differences between German Rechtssoziologie and socio-legal studies in the UK, with particular focus on the historical development of such ideas and approaches, as well as on identifying points of connection. It will look to generate initial conversations between scholars in these communities and to foster the continuation of such conversations subsequent to this event. Using the themes space, time, text and image to organise the contributions, participants will discuss the relevant methodologies, theories and concepts used in the shaping of contemporary socio-legal studies in Germany and the UK.

Building upon the success of the previous SLSA-sponsored one-day workshop on ‘Socio-legal studies/sociologie du droit: methods, traditions, theories in France and the UK’ (Paris 2018), this workshop will enable discussions of the key contemporary trends and approaches in both German and UK socio-legal contexts. Abstract submissions (250 words max) should be sent to sociolegalworkshop2019@rewi.hu-berlin.de by 4 March 2019. The working language of the workshop will be English. Please note that there will be a presumption of commitment for publication of the presented work for all participating scholars.

Full details of the call for papers are also available for download. Updated information can be found on this website.

For further information, please contact one of the organisers:

• Dr Jen Hendry (University of Leeds)
• Dr Naomi Creutzfeldt (University of Westminster) 
• Dr Christian Boulanger (Humboldt University Berlin) 

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