CONFERENCE: Grotian Law and Modernity at the dawn of a new age. 400 years of the Jure Belli Ac Pacis 1625-2025 (The Hague: Universiteit Leiden, 19-20 JUN 2025)

 

image source: Universiteit Leiden

On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the first publication of De jure belli ac pacis by Hugo Grotius in 1625, an international conference will be organized by the Grotiana Foundation, the Paul Scholten Centre for Jurisprudence at the University of Amsterdam, the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies at the University of Leiden, Max-Planck-Institut, and the Department of Public Law and Governance at Tilburg University.

The major aim of the conference is to foster new narratives on the thought of Grotius, in general legal theory as well as in international law against a the backdrop of present-day rapid, fundamental changes that challenge the very foundations of the modernist paradigm, of which Grotius may be considered a key trailblazer. The core question of the academic conference is to what extent Grotian thought about general legal theory and international law is still relevant today, and what adaptations current foundational changes to our world make necessary. In this context, discussion of the many trajectories of reception, appropriation and reinterpretation of Grotius in different times and places, offers a valuable, additional perspective.

Through the conference ‘Grotian law and modernity at the dawn of a new age’, the organizers want to stimulate debate on the constitutional impact of current changes for the global legal order through the lens of a long-term historical analysis. The speakers in the conference are invited to reach back to Grotius’ thought and work as a starting point for discussing the foundations of the modern legal order of the past four centuries and the changes this is currently undergoing. They are asked to use this long-term historical framework to make sense of current upheavals and look for direction towards the future of law.

The conference program falls into three parts (with parallel sessions) and the full agenda can be found here.

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Programme for "400 Years Grotian Law"

Day 1: 19 June 2025

Venue: Wijnhaven Building, Turfmarkt 99, 2511 DP The Hague

09:00 - 09:30:
Registration and Coffee

09:30 - 09:45:
Opening and Welcome (Room 2.01)

09:45 - 10:30:
Keynote Address I (Room 2.01)
Theme: Lineages of Grotian Thought
Speaker: Martine van Ittersum
Followed by Q&A.

10:30 - 11:00:
Coffee Break

11:00 - 12:30:
Parallel Thematic Panels:

1. Part I: Lineages of Grotian Thought (Room 3.16)
   Chair: Anne Peters
   Panelists:

   • Alain Wijffels: Is De iure belli ac pacis a Law Book?
   • Sarah Mortimer: Christianity and Citizenship in Seventeenth-Century Protestantism
   • Marco Barducci: Grotius in the ‘Long Seventeenth Century’: The Case of Italy
   • William E. Butler: The Carnegie Translation of Grotius and Public Opinion

2. Part II: Modernity and General Theory of Law (Room 3.46)
   Chair: Inge van Hulle
   Panelists:

   • Daniel Lee: Imperfect Rights
   • Mónica Garcia-Salmones & Pim Oosterhuis: Grotius and Hobbes on Human Nature
   • Gustaaf van Nifterik: Grotius and Hobbes on Sovereignty
   • Johan Oltshoorn: Grotius on Just War and Self-Defence
   • Dave De Ruysscher: Grotius’ Legacy in Dutch Commercial Law

3. Part III: Modernity and International Law (Room 3.60)
   Chair: Jens Iverson
   Panelists:

   • Letizia Lo Giacco: Public Authority and International Criminal Law
   • Stefano Cattelan & Louis Sicking: Coastal Seas in Grotius’ De Iure Belli ac Pacis
   • Daniel R. Quiroga-Villamarin: Unequal Leagues in Contemporary International Law
   • Harald Kleinschmidt: Grotius on Security and Extraterritoriality

12:30 - 14:00:
Lunch Break

14:00 - 14:45:
Keynote Address II (Room 2.01)
Theme: Modernity and General Theory of Law
Speaker: Annabel Brett
Followed by Q&A.

14:45 - 15:15:
Coffee Break

15:15 - 17:00:
Academic Session (Room 2.01)
Keynote Speech by Philippe Sands

19:00:
Speakers’ Conference Dinner

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Day 2: 20 June 2025

Venue: Wijnhaven Building, Turfmarkt 99, 2511 DP The Hague

09:00 - 10:30:
Keynote Address III (Room 2.01)
Theme: Modernity and International Law
Speaker: Hilary Charlesworth
Followed by Q&A.

10:30 - 11:00:
Coffee Break

11:00 - 12:30:
Parallel Thematic Panels II:

1. Part I: Lineages of Grotian Thought (Room 2.02)
   Chair: Francesca Iurlaro
   Panelists:

   • Jiangmei Liu: Grotius’s Defence of Dutch Colonial Imperialism
   • Emanuele Salerno: Florentine State Liberty in the Bellum Diplomaticum
   • Frederik Dhondt: Grotius in French Diplomacy (1720-1762)
   • Matthew Cleary: Grotius Societies and International Law

2. Part II: General Theory of Law and Governance (Room 3.60)
   Chair: Janne Nijman
   Panelists:

   • Anthony Lang: Grotius as a Universalist
   • Gaëlle Demelemestre: Universality of Law and Cultural Plurality
   • Andriws Gonzalez Barrera & Femke Gordijn: Colonial Companies and Grotius’ Concepts of Sovereignty
   • Mikki Stelder: Rereading Grotius through Black and Indigenous Studies

3. Part III: International Law and Governance (Room 2.01)
   Chair: Letizia Lo Giacco
   Panelists:

   • Ruti Teitel: Religious Division in International Law
   • Maria Varaki: Grotian Quest for Legal Moderation
   • Bryce Hollander & Janet Lord: Jus Post Bellum and Disability Rights
   • Jens Iverson: Grotian Tradition and Transitional Justice

12:30 - 14:00:
Lunch Break

14:00 - 15:30:
Parallel Thematic Panels III:

1. Part I: Lineages of Grotian Thought (Room 2.02)
   Chair: Hans Blom
   Panelists:

   • Elena Jie Chih: Reinterpreting Justice in Grotius
   • Alberto Clerici: The Roman Inquisition and De Iure Belli ac Pacis
   • Luigi Lacchè: Grotius and Alberico Gentili
   • Susan Harris Rimmer: A Feminist Conversation with Grotius

2. Part II: General Theory of Law and Governance (Room 3.60)
   Chair: Jacob Giltaij
   Panelists:

   • Andreas Follesdal: Grotius and Convention Refugees
   • Ville Kari: Grotius on Global Commons Property
   • Romain Cuttat: Grotius on Collective Rights
   • Joris van de Riet: Kant and Schmitt on Grotius

3. Part III: International Law and Governance (Room 2.01)
   Chair: Eric De Brabandere
   Panelists:

   • Edward Jones Corredera: Latin America’s Debt to Grotius
   • Theodore Christov: Grotius in America
   • Zulal Muslu: Ottoman Sovereignty and Grotius
   • Hirofumi Oguri: Grotius in Japanese International Legal Scholarship

16:00 - 17:00:
Closing Remarks (Room 2.01)

17:00 - 18:00:
Farewell Reception