Call for papers - Legal History in Unexpected Places

Where can we find legal histories? Historians look far beyond legal papers, often venturing into unexpected places – whether geographical, archival, theoretical or interdisciplinary. This conference invites papers discussing stories, sources, and approaches that show this ‘sense of disciplinary adventure’.¹

Unexpected places are broadly defined – we look forward to being surprised! – but among the areas we welcome are:

• Physical places – whether a single street, a jurisdiction, oceans or outer space
• Sources – e.g. family history, local history, unexpected archives, art and literature
• Disciplinary meeting places – law, history and the humanities, arts, sciences, social sciences, etc.
• Theories and approaches.

We invite proposals for

• 15-minute papers; or
• 15-minute presentations in alternative formats such as virtual tours.

We particularly welcome those which address the central theme of diversity, dilemmas and discoveries.

Abstracts (not exceeding 300 words) should be submitted by email to OULS-legalhistory@open.ac.uk by Friday 11 October.

¹ Ian Ward, ‘Law, Literature and History’ (2023) 35 Law & Literature 327.