Call4Papers for the 1st Ars Iuris Legal Potentials Conference

Only few problems are as pressing as climate change – and, as scientific evidence suggests, it will get even “hotter” in the years to come. Seeking to address this important issue from a legal point of view, while being confronted with the claim that “change itself is always the result of extra-legal action” (Arendt), the 1^st Ars Iuris Legal Potentials Conference will revolve around “Challenges of the Anthropocene”. The conference takes place on September 26^th, 2023 and will be hosted at the University of Vienna.

We cordially invite young legal researchers (e.g., PhD-candidates, post-doctoral fellows, research fellows) to share their ideas concerning the “Challenges of the Anthropocene” at this intra-disciplinary conference. In order to amplify the impact of their contributions, our speakers will be provided with the opportunity to publish a written version of their presentation in the University of Vienna Law Review (VLR), a peer-reviewed, open-access journal.

We welcome contributions concerning the current and prospective challenges that the Anthropocene poses to the legal system, as well as contributions that revolve around the impact that an active, anticipatory approach to legislation, administration and litigation may have. Contributions that analyse the roles that lawyers, judges and researchers may play in facing the challenges of the Anthropocene are equally appreciated. We specifically, but not exclusively, encourage submissions concerning the following subjects:

Ø  Climate change litigation (proceedings under private, administrative, constitutional and international law)

Ø  Liability for environmental damage (non-climate-change-related)

Ø  Challenges of the Anthropocene – challenges to conflict of laws?

Ø  Challenges of the Anthropocene – challenges to legal methodology?

Ø  Human right to a liveable environment

Ø  Legal subjectivity and standing of natural entities

Ø  Climate change and human rights criticism

Ø  Law and climate activism/civil disobedience

Ø  Corporate social responsibility

If you are interested in applying to participate as both a conference-speaker and an author, please send an anonymized abstract (500 words maximum, PDF file format) as well as your academic CV (one page maximum, PDF file format) and, if available, a sample of academic writing (e.g., a recent publication) to ars.iuris@univie.ac.at until May 15^th, 2023. Notifications of acceptance will be communicated by mid-June 2023.

Your presentation should cover 20-30 minutes; your corresponding paper should contain 30.000-50.000 characters. The 1^st Ars Iuris Legal Potentials Conference will be held in English, which is also the VLR’s language of publication.

The finished paper, which will be featured in a special edition of the VLR, has to be handed in by September 12^th, 2023 via email (ars.iuris@univie.ac.at).

Until October 10^th, 2023, you will be able to make modifications of your paper, if, for instance, the discussion at the conference inspires you to do so.

If necessary, speakers’ travelling costs as well as residence expenses will be sponsored by the Ars Iuris Vienna. To find out more about the Ars Iuris Vienna (https://arsiuris.univie.ac.at/en/about-us/) and the University of Vienna Law Review (https://viennalawreview.com/index.php/vlr/about), feel free to browse our websites.