CfP: Thinking the methodology of law and legal history with Michael Stolleis

May 12, 2022

As Michael Stolleis (1941-2021) passes away and tributes multiply, jurists and legal historians in Europe and beyond are re-reading the works he left us as a legacy. Among these are a few texts of a more methodological nature. This methodological reflection is at the heart of the following draft issue of the journal Clio&Themis.

Two of his texts will be of particular interest: Rechtsgeschichte als Kunstprodukt. Zur Entbehrlichkeit von "Begriff" und "Tatsache", Baden-Baden, Nomos, 1997 (30 p.); Rechtsgeschichte schreiben. Rekonstruktion, Erzählung, Fiktion ?, Basel, Schwabe Verlag, 2008 (48 p.). They constitute the starting point of a reflection which is planned to involve a wide range of researchers, historians, lawyers and legal historians, but also linguists/translators or other representatives of social sciences who might be interested in the subject.

The aim is to explore a methodology, or perhaps more precisely an epistemology, which has always been the focus of the author of the great History of Public Law in Germany (4 vols. 1988-2012). It will therefore be important, beyond the tribute paid to the man and his work, to extend a discussion with the author. Nothing would be more appropriate than to discuss his choices, to pursue his quest for a path that leads, not to truth, but to knowledge. Whether one agrees or disagrees with him, totally or partially, it is above all important to pursue his work in that it is an invitation to constructive doubt, creativity and perseverance.

The overall conception of this call for contributions is intended to be original, both in the disciplinary openness to which it invites (and to which Michael Stolleis was attached) and in the expected junction between all the contributions: they will all start from the two aforementioned texts, from one or more of their elements, to feed them, extend them, discuss them and/or contradict them. The texts will be published in the journal Clio&Themis, Revue européenne d’histoire du droit. An exchange seminar could be envisaged, before or after the event.

For possible topics and additional information, see https://publications-prairial.fr/cliothemis/index.php?id=1988.

Provisional calendar:

1. Submission of articles by 1 May 2023.

2. First evaluation of the articles during the committee meeting of June 2023.

3. Submission of corrected articles by 1 December 2023.

4. Second evaluation of articles at the January 2024 committee.

5. Final submission of articles by 15 April 2024.

6. Publication in June 2024.

How to apply:

Proposals for contributions must include a sufficiently detailed idea, allowing the author to understand how he or she proposes to fit into the overall project. The text should be between 5000 and 10000 characters. 

Proposals (in French, English or German) should be sent in editable format (*.doc, *.docx, *.odt, etc.) before 30 June 2022 to: nader.hakim@u-bordeaux.fr

All proposals must be accompanied by :

1. first name and surname of the author 

2. electronic contact details 

3. Academic status
   

Source: https://publications-prairial.fr/cliothemis/index.php?id=1988 (12.05.2022)