The Organising Committee and the Executive Council of the European Society for Comparative Legal History are pleased to call for papers for the upcoming Society’s 8th Biennial Conference to be held from 2 to 4 July 2025 at the University of Szeged, Hungary.

The conference series started in Valencia (2010), followed by Amsterdam (2012), Macerata (2014), Gdansk (2016), Paris (2018), and Lisbon (2022). In 2023, we had a successful conference in Augsburg.

The theme of the conference is to call attention to the development of legal institutions that are related to and serve as the foundation of modern/contemporary state and law. We mainly expect papers based on the examination of primary sources, since the main aim of the conference is to draw attention to the importance and analysis of primary sources (e.g. archival sources, judgements, parliamentary materials) in legal historical research, across legal systems.

The organizers wish to offer the opportunity to all participants who intend to present their legal historical and comparative research based mainly on primary sources, regardless of the historical era and geographical areas.

Back to the past and analysis of primary sources, new findings can be presented which can be used for the development of law in the contemporary period. Building the future can only be based on thorough historical and legal research, which can be achieved by connecting the past to the present. Through the complex and comparative assessment of the different branches of law, we can work towards a more general picture of legal development.

To offer a paper, please submit an abstract of up to 400 words, in English, by 31 October 2024. The abstract should include the title of your proposed paper and your personal data (full name, email address, work affiliation). Please also send a short CV (no more than 4 pages). Anyone at any stage in their research career can offer a paper. The submissions should be sent to vargan@juris.u-szeged.hu. Abstracts will be assessed against: (1) the aim to have a diverse conference; (2) the novelty of the work; (3) a professionally grounded presentation proposal including a description of the sources and methodology involved and a concise description of the research results. One author may only give one paper at the conference in order to allow as many people as possible to deliver papers.

It is also possible to submit a proposal for a complete panel. Panels normally consist of three papers. A panel proposal should – in addition to the abstracts and CVs of those who wish to present a paper in that panel – include an abstract for the entire panel, as well as a CV of the panel organizer. The list of accepted papers will be announced by December 2024.

A conference website will be launched with further details of the conference in December 2024.

The conference website will also contain information on the attendance fee for those not members of the ESCLH, transport to and from Szeged, and accommodation in Szeged. The conference website will allow registration for the conference, starting in February 2025. Finally, the conference will be preceded by an additional PhD-workshop on 2 July 2025. Further information about the workshop will also be published in December 2024.

Norbert Varga organizer

University of Szeged

Faculty of Law and Political Sciences