Max Planck - American society for legal history Dissertation Prize for European Legal History in Global Perspective

29. April 2026

The Max Planck-ASLH Dissertation Prize for European Legal History in Global Perspective will honor exceptional dissertations on topics in European legal history in global perspective and presented for PhD or JSD degrees awarded in the previous calendar year.

Deadline for submission: 1 June 2026

Topics for the Max Planck-ASLH Dissertation Prize may include European legal interactions with people or places outside Europe, legal processes spanning Europe and other world regions, and developments in legal theory closely related to imperial, transnational, or trans-regional trends.

Dissertations must be written in English. The prize recipient will receive a three-month residential fellowship at the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory in Frankfurt. The fellowship includes a monthly stipend, in accordance with the regulations of the Institute’s visitor program, round-trip airfare to Frankfurt (up to €1,500), and accommodation in an institute apartment (valued at €700 per month). Currently, the monthly stipend is €2,700 for scholars with a PhD or JSD. The stipend will be offset against other sources of income. The timing of the period in residence at the Max Planck Institute is flexible and will be arranged in consultation with the Institute directors. Typically, the three-month period will take place in the fall or spring within a year or two of the date of the award.

Elements of Submission

(1) Curriculum Vitae (including date of degree);
(2) Plan for Use of Fellowship Time at the Max Planck Institute (up to 500 words); and
(3) Dissertation (including abstract).

Please submit items 1-3 in a single pdf.

All application materials should be sent to mpdissertation@aslh.net

Only complete submissions will be considered.

Questions? Write to Lauren Benton (lauren.benton@yale.edu).

Committee Members:

• Lauren Benton (chair)
  Yale University

• Thomas Duve
  Max Planck Institute for Legal History

• Fahad Bishara
  University of Virginia

• Matthew Mirow
  Florida International University

Source: ESCLH Blog, https://esclh.blogspot.com/2026/03/award-max-planck-aslh-dissertation.html