International Conference June 19-20, 2025 Leiden University Wijnhaven Campus, The Hague
Grotian law and modernity at the dawn of a new age 400 years of De jure belli ac pacis 1625-2025 - Call for papers
On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the first publication of De jure belli ac pacis by Hugo Grotius in 1625, an international conference will be organized by the Grotiana Foundation, the Paul Scholten Centre for Jurisprudence at the University of Amsterdam, the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies at the University of Leiden and the Department of Public Law and Governance at Tilburg University.
The major aim of the conference is to foster new narratives on the thought of Grotius, in general legal theory as well as in international law against a the backdrop of present-day rapid, fundamental changes that challenge the very foundations of the modernist paradigm, of which Grotius may be considered a key trailblazer. The core question of the academic conference is to what extent Grotian thought about general legal theory and international law is still relevant today, and what adaptations current foundational changes to our world make necessary. In this context, discussion of the many trajectories of reception, appropriation, and reinterpretation of Grotius in different times and places, offers a valuable, additional perspective.
We invite candidates to send in an abstract of 250-400 words and a short c.v. of max. 100 words to the general convener, Randall Lesaffer (lesaffer@tilburguniversity.edu) by the 1st of May 2024. Please mention your affiliation and indicate a preference for one of the three conference themes. Read the additional information.