REMINDER CALL FOR PAPERS: XXX Annual Forum of Young Legal Historians - 'Values in law through the ages' (Poznań: Adam Mickiewicz University, 23-26 SEPT 2026) [DEADLINE: 30 APR 2026 ]

 

(Budynek Collegium Minus w Poznaniu. Source: Wikipedia)

Introduction

Legal traditions, community, harmonization and integration have been the hallmarks of the Association's Annual Forums for 29 years. Values in law, which is the main topic of the 30th anniversary edition of the Meeting of Young Legal Historians, is an excellent opportunity to look at the issues discussed at previous forums from a wider perspective. The legal maxim Ubi societas ibi ius, which dates back to ancient times, is a simple affirmation of common sense: wherever there are people, wherever there is a community, wherever relationships and bonds are formed, there must be a certain order, which is referred to as ius — law. The conference “Values in law through the ages”, organized by the Faculty of Law and Administration and the Faculty of History of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, will be a space for discussion on the transdisciplinary issues of axiological matters present in various cultures and legal systems.

Conference theme

We are planning to include various contexts for the use of the main topic at the conference. We invite you to submit proposals for papers from various fields of law and other fields related to law, clearly linked to historical and legal analysis and the topic of the conference. The proposed topics, which are not exhaustive, include in particular issues such as principles of law, rule of law, legal unlawfulness, revolutions in law, crises of values in law, inter-systemic and intra-systemic contrasts of values, history of human rights, theoretical concepts of values in law or constitutional protection of values.

Requirements for submitting abstracts

We invite submissions on essentially any aspect of the values in the legal history. Authors may approach the topic dogmatically, historically or comparatively, they may focus on a specific period and place or present general reflections on the axiology of law in a historical context. Authors are encouraged to use innovative approaches and transdisciplinary research.

If you would like to present a paper during the conference, please send an application including an abstract of not more than 300 words and your CV to aylhforum2026@amu.edu.pl before 30 April 2026. Acceptance letters will be sent out by the end of May. Please send documents in PDF format.

In justified individual cases, the forum's scientific committee may consider abstracts earlier. To do so, please contact the organizing committee, indicating “EARLY APPLICATION” in the subject line of your message.

Presentations have to be in English and should not exceed 15 minutes each. Since one of the primary goals of the conference is to allow young researchers to get to know each other personally, we only accept presentations in person.

Publication

We intend to publish the presented papers. The organizing committee intends to resume publication with Peter Lang Publishing, which was associated with the first editions of our forums. Depending on the number of interested parties and financial possibilities, we plan to publish another volume of the Yearbook of Young Legal History, or a monograph, or a special issue in a Polish academic journal. The related details will be sent in advance to the accepted participants.

Conference fee

Two types of conference fees are anticipated for this year's forum:

1. The conference fee without post-conference publication costs is 200 € and does not include travel or accommodation costs.

2. The conference fee including post-conference publication costs is 300 € and also does not include travel or accommodation costs.

After the announcement of the abstract selection results on May 31, 2026, the Organizing Committee will contact the selected participants with further information on registration by paying the conference fee.

Other information

The Forum will be in English, and each paper presentation should not exceed 15 minutes, so there is time for discussions in the last part of each panel. 

The submission deadline is 30th April 2026. Abstracts received after the submission deadline will be declined. Please indicate in your application the type of participation (without publication or with publication).

Keep in mind that registration is limited to a number of people. Therefore, early registration is strongly recommended!

Event organization

The forum will last four days: the first day will be a welcome day with the participation of keynote speakers and a special guest, the next two days will feature many parallel sessions, and on the last day we are planning a jubilee meeting on organizational matters of the Association for Young Legal Historians.

Our meeting will take place in Poznań, the capital of Greater Poland. The city can be reached by plane or other means of transport (train, bus). We recommend planning your travel and accommodation in advance. The organizing committee will provide recommendations in this regard at a later date.

We look forward to receiving your abstracts and we will uncompromisingly endeavor to provide a conference that is both academically and socially fulfilling. We wish you all the best for this time!

Organizing Committee:

Dawid Szulc, MA, Department of Government Systems Studies and Political and Legal Thought – Committee Chair

Patryk Maćkowiak, MA, Department of Source Analysis and Auxiliary Historical Sciences – Vice Committee Chair

Fatma Mejri, MA, Department of Government Systems Studies and Political and Legal Thought

Maria Kola, MA, Department of Roman Law, Legal Traditions and Cultural Heritage Law

Szymon Siuda, MA, Department of Public Economic Law

Kamil Gaweł, MA, Department of Medical and Pharmaceutical Law at the Poznań University of Medical Sciences

CALL FOR PAPERS: XXX Annual Forum of Young Legal Historians - 'Values in law through the ages' (Poznań: Adam Mickiewicz University, 23-26 SEPT 2026) [DEADLINE: 30 APR 2026]

(Budynek Collegium Minus w Poznaniu. Source: Wikipedia)

Introduction

Legal traditions, community, harmonization and integration have been the hallmarks of the Association's Annual Forums for 29 years. Values in law, which is the main topic of the 30th anniversary edition of the Meeting of Young Legal Historians, is an excellent opportunity to look at the issues discussed at previous forums from a wider perspective. The legal maxim Ubi societas ibi ius, which dates back to ancient times, is a simple affirmation of common sense: wherever there are people, wherever there is a community, wherever relationships and bonds are formed, there must be a certain order, which is referred to as ius — law. The conference “Values in law through the ages”, organized by the Faculty of Law and Administration and the Faculty of History of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, will be a space for discussion on the transdisciplinary issues of axiological matters present in various cultures and legal systems.

Conference theme

We are planning to include various contexts for the use of the main topic at the conference. We invite you to submit proposals for papers from various fields of law and other fields related to law, clearly linked to historical and legal analysis and the topic of the conference. The proposed topics, which are not exhaustive, include in particular issues such as principles of law, rule of law, legal unlawfulness, revolutions in law, crises of values in law, inter-systemic and intra-systemic contrasts of values, history of human rights, theoretical concepts of values in law or constitutional protection of values.

Requirements for submitting abstracts

We invite submissions on essentially any aspect of the values in the legal history. Authors may approach the topic dogmatically, historically or comparatively, they may focus on a specific period and place or present general reflections on the axiology of law in a historical context. Authors are encouraged to use innovative approaches and transdisciplinary research.

If you would like to present a paper during the conference, please send an application including an abstract of not more than 300 words and your CV to aylhforum2026@amu.edu.pl before 30 April 2026. Acceptance letters will be sent out by the end of May. Please send documents in PDF format.

In justified individual cases, the forum's scientific committee may consider abstracts earlier. To do so, please contact the organizing committee, indicating “EARLY APPLICATION” in the subject line of your message.

Presentations have to be in English and should not exceed 15 minutes each. Since one of the primary goals of the conference is to allow young researchers to get to know each other personally, we only accept presentations in person.

Publication

We intend to publish the presented papers. The organizing committee intends to resume publication with Peter Lang Publishing, which was associated with the first editions of our forums. Depending on the number of interested parties and financial possibilities, we plan to publish another volume of the Yearbook of Young Legal History, or a monograph, or a special issue in a Polish academic journal. The related details will be sent in advance to the accepted participants.

Conference fee

Two types of conference fees are anticipated for this year's forum:

1. The conference fee without post-conference publication costs is 200 € and does not include travel or accommodation costs.

2. The conference fee including post-conference publication costs is 300 € and also does not include travel or accommodation costs.

After the announcement of the abstract selection results on May 31, 2026, the Organizing Committee will contact the selected participants with further information on registration by paying the conference fee.

Other information

The Forum will be in English, and each paper presentation should not exceed 15 minutes, so there is time for discussions in the last part of each panel. 

The submission deadline is 30th April 2026. Abstracts received after the submission deadline will be declined. Please indicate in your application the type of participation (without publication or with publication).

Keep in mind that registration is limited to a number of people. Therefore, early registration is strongly recommended!

Event organization

The forum will last four days: the first day will be a welcome day with the participation of keynote speakers and a special guest, the next two days will feature many parallel sessions, and on the last day we are planning a jubilee meeting on organizational matters of the Association for Young Legal Historians.

Our meeting will take place in Poznań, the capital of Greater Poland. The city can be reached by plane or other means of transport (train, bus). We recommend planning your travel and accommodation in advance. The organizing committee will provide recommendations in this regard at a later date.

We look forward to receiving your abstracts and we will uncompromisingly endeavor to provide a conference that is both academically and socially fulfilling. We wish you all the best for this time!

Organizing Committee:

Dawid Szulc, MA, Department of Government Systems Studies and Political and Legal Thought – Committee Chair

Patryk Maćkowiak, MA, Department of Source Analysis and Auxiliary Historical Sciences – Vice Committee Chair

Fatma Mejri, MA, Department of Government Systems Studies and Political and Legal Thought

Maria Kola, MA, Department of Roman Law, Legal Traditions and Cultural Heritage Law

Szymon Siuda, MA, Department of Public Economic Law

Kamil Gaweł, MA, Department of Medical and Pharmaceutical Law at the Poznań University of Medical Sciences

CONFERENCE: Annual Forum Young Legal Historians, "Compromis à la belge" (Ghent: UGent, 17-20 SEPT 2025)

 

(image source: blogger)

Wednesday, 17^th September 2025

Opening Ceremony

Venue: Faculty of Law and Criminology, Universiteitstraat 4, 9000 Gent

-          17:00-17:15: Opening Remarks by the Director of the Ghent Legal History Institute, Prof. Dr. Dirk Heirbaut.

-          17:15-17:30: Word of welcome by the Organizing Committee

-          17:30-18:00: Keynote speech Bruno Debaenst: The history of the Annual Forum for Young Legal Historians

-          18:00: official opening of the reception by the Dean of the Law Faculty prof. dr. Michel Tison

-          18:15-19:30: Opening ceremony reception

Thursday 18^th September 2025

Panel sessions

Venue: Faculty of Law and Criminology, Volderstraat 3, 9000 Gent

-          8:30-9:00: Registration day 1

-          9:00-10:30: Panel 1, 2, 3

-          10:30-11:00: Coffee break

-          11:00-12:30: Panel 4, 5, 6

-          12:30-14:00: Lunch break

-          14:00-15:30: Panel 7, 8, 9

-          15:30-16:00: Coffee break

-          16:00-17:30: Panel 10, 11, 12

Friday 19^th September 2025

Panel sessions

Venue: Faculty of Law and Criminology, Volderstraat 3, 9000 Gent

-          8:30-9:00: Registration day 2

-          9:00-10:30: Panel 13,14,15

-          10:30-11:00: Coffee break

-          11:00-12:30: Panel 16, 17, 18

-          12:30-14:00: Lunch break

-          14:00-15:30: Panel 19, 20

Closing ceremony

Venue: ‘Pacificatiezaal’, Ghent city hall (Botermarkt 1, 9000 Gent)

-          18u00: Welcome by the city administration

-          Keynote speech professor Julie Rocheton: Compromis à la Louisianaise

Conference Dinner

20:00 at Multatuli (Huidevetterskaai 40, 9000 Gent)

Saturday 20^th September 2025

City tour through the historical centre of Ghent

Point of assembly:  Faculty of Law and Criminology, Volderstraat 3, 9000 Gent

Panel sessions:

Panel 1: Compromise in Islamic and Ottoman Law – Amila Svraka-Imamovic, Rode Zaal

-          Afra Uysal: Muamalah Shar’iyyah: Fraus legis or legal compromise?

-          Dawid Szulc: Ottomanism as a concept legitimizing state and legal reforms in the Tanzimat era (1839–1876)

-          Rafał Kaczmarczyk: Forced compromise: crisis in the Muslim Religious Union in the Republic of Poland under the government’s management

-          Ramez Mahdi Mahmoud Ashour: Administrative Settlement as a Mechanism for Absorbing Disputes in Hybrid Legal Systems: The Case of Palestine (TBC)

Panel 2: Compromise and Finance – Elias Dessantis, Blauwe Zaal

-          Florenz Volkaert: Tariff Compromises in the History of International Law (1860-1914)

-          Ana Carolina Couto: Legal Designs of Compromise in Post-Abolition Brazil: Targeted Credit and the Encilhamento Crisis

-          Máté Pétervári: An Agreement Among Creditors Forcing Disagreeing Minority. The Theory of Compulsory Non-Bankruptcy Settlement in the Hungarian and German-language Jurisprudence

Panel 3: Compromise in Civil Law Changes – Emanuel van Dongen, Multimedialokaal

-          Robin Navez: The Belgian-Dutch civil codification of 1830: a lawmaking process encouraging parliamentary compromises?

-          Germans Pavlovskis: Legitimacy of the Roman Law Sources after the Adoption of the Codification of Baltic Private Law of 1864

-          Magdalena Ossowska-Tutaj: The Elusive Compromise of Abandoning Immovable Property in Polish Law

-          Michal Tutaj: Compromise or Dictate? Two Different Paths of Lawmaking: The Case of Polish and Turkish Obligation Law after World War I

Panel 4: “At the Crossroads of Revolution and Compromise” – The Legacy of the Conference of the justice of the Realm  of 1861 in Hungary – Dawid Szulc, Rode Zaal

-          Imre Képessy: “The Long and Winding Road” leading to the Approval of the Provisional Judicial Rules

-          Balázs Rigó: The Compromise in the Teaching of European and Hungarian Legal History at the Royal University of Pest in 1861

-          Gábor Bathó: Criminal Law on the Agenda of the Conference of the Justice of the Realm

-          Orsolya Papik: The Provisional Judicial Rules as a Gateway Between Constitutionalism and Modernisation (TBC)

 

Panel 5: Fundamental Rights: No Place for Compromise? - James Hannaford, Blauwe Zaal

-          Patricia Plana de Juan: Public Morality in Spanish Law (TBC)

-          Felix Dröll: Compromise and the exercise of rights - Japanese legal history between westernization and societal values

-          Linda Lielbriede: Right to Defense, Fair Trial, and Legal Compromise in Authoritarian and Transitional Regimes

Panel 6: (Post-)Colonial Compromises – Stephen Hewer, Multimedialokaal

-          Ilaria Masseroni: Polygamy as Colonial Compromise: Legal Pluralism and Missionary Governance in the Congo Free State (1885–1908)

-          Kato Desaever: Colonial concession regime as ‘compromis à la Belge’ between State & concessionaire

-          Pietro Reginato Costa Callado: Achieving Consensus in a Polarized World: The Role of Compromise in the Adoption of UNGA Resolution 1803 (XVII)

-          Daglié Colaço: Compromises in the Age of Empires: Belgian Presence on Brazil’s Western Frontier (1880–1914)

Panel 7: Compromises in Function of Social Protection – Bruno Debaenst, Rode Zaal

-          Caroline Desbois: From One Master to Another: The Mobility of Apprentices and Their Contacts in Parisian Compagnonnage During the 17th and 18th Centuries

-          Louis Debersaques: When it rains, it pours. The compromise of safety by operating outside the agreed period in public construction works (c. 1875)

-          Elizaveta Stetsenko: Defects in provision of medical care: legal ways to find a compromise 

-          Marcelo Muñoz Perdiguero - Heinrich Pesch and the quest for compromise and middle way

Panel 8: Crime and Punishment – Stephen Hewer, Blauwe Zaal 

-          Letizia Solazzi: The third school of criminal law: an Italian compromise

-          Wang Sarinai: The concept of collective responsibility in ancient Mongolian law

Panel 9: Compromises in the Creation of Criminal Legislation – Ana Paula Zappellini Sassi, Multimedialokaal

-          Benedek Varga: The Criminalization of Tax Fraud in Interwar Hungary: A Dogmatic and Historical Analysis of Act XXXII of 1920 

-          Edouard Delrée: Undying or Walking Dead? Scope and Trajectories of Two Major Long-Term Legal Compromises in Belgian Criminal Procedure (19th-21st centuries) 

 

Panel 10: Canon Law and Compromise – Antoine Leclère, Rode Zaal

-          Shiri Roelofs: Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) on Money Exchange: The Role of Canon, Roman, and Natural Law

-          Emilie Gérard: Pleading for tolerance: Charles Ancillon’s advocacy for the reinstatement of the Edict of Nantes

-          Łukasz Gołaszewski: Effective, ineffective and even informal compromise. Conflict resolution by way of settlement in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the light of records of noble and ecclesiastical courts from Podlasie

-          Ana Luiza Ferreira Gomes Silva: Teaching the Libri Feudorum in Leuven Across Three Centuries: Compromising Interpretation with Changing Contexts?

Panel 11: State Responsibilities during and after Times of War – Florenz Volkaert, Blauwe Zaal

-          Benedict Vanlanduyt: the restitution of movable and immovable goods in peace treaties between 1482-1715 

-          Louise Martens: Political Incivism of Belgian Lawyers on The Verge of The Repression

-          Michał Stokowski: Retaliation or reconciliation - responsibility for the crimes of the World War II on the example of legislation Poland and Belgium

-          Stefano Cattelan: Maritime Neutrality in the 18th Century: Seeking a Compromise Between the Rights of Belligerents and Neutrals

Panel 12: The Contrasting Roles of Compromise in Emancipation – Kaat Cappelle, Multimedialokaal

-          Ana Paula Zappellini Sassi: The discipline of female sexual honour within sexual crimes: the "honest woman" concept as a crossing-borders patriarchal compromise? (Italy—Brazil, 1889-1930)

-          David Karacsony: Discrimination and disadvantaged social groups in Roman law

-          Wang Jing: Title TBD (TBC)

-          Laura Rodriques: Compromise and Democratic Transition in the “Convenção Nacional do Negro Brasileiro” (1945-1951) (TBC) 

Panel 13: Contractual Compromises in Roman Law – Niels Fieremans, Rode Zaal

-          Michael Binder: Pactum de non petendo: A Compromise? 

-          Yüce Tunay: The role of Bonus Vir in Conflicts Arising from Commercial Activities in Roman Law with a comparison of Ottoman Islamic Law and Turkish Modern Law

-          David Magalhães: “Transactio”. The enduring Roman roots of settlement of controversies by agreement

-          Adrien Mociulschi: Compromises in commercial matters: the example of intuitu personae consensualism in contract law in Rome

-          Ahmet Arslan: The Role of Compromise in German Contract Law: Balancing Interests under Clausula Rebus Sic Stantibus and the Doctrine of Impossibility

Panel 14: Compromise and the Circulation of Ideas – Sebastiaan Vandenbogaerde, Blauwe Zaal

-          Katarzyna Latek: "When French books were Belgian'- the role and influence of Belgian contrefacon in shaping the legal thought in Europe

-          Ryo Mochizuki: Censorship conducted by universities in early modern Germany: Negotiation and compromise between the duke of Bavaria, the University of Ingolstadt, and its subjects

-          Joana Noguiera de Freitas: The Circulation of Notarial Forms in The Portuguese Empire during The Late Eighteenth Century

-          Marco Castelli: Technical Choice or Editorial Compromise? Early Editions of the Commentaries on the Liber Extra (TBC)

Panel 15: Compromise and Dispute Resolution – Imre Képessy, Multimedialokaal

-          Amila Svraka-Imamovic: Compromise as a Dispute Resolution Mechanism in Shari'ah Law: Theoretical Foundations and Practical Applications 

-          Sonja Dieckman: The role of compromise in Rome

-          Tea Dularidze: The Tradition of Compromise in Antiquity (TBC)

-          Przemysław Gawron & Jan Jerzy Sowa (TBC): A compromise in the land criminal law of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the turn of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries

Panel 16: Compromise and Judicial Organisation – Marie De Beul, Rode Zaal

-          Mariusz Mohyluk: On Justices of the Peace in the Second and Third Polish Republics: Seeking Compromise

-          Kacper Górski: Compromise or Noble Supremacy? The Municipal-Castrensial Mixed Court (iudicium mixtum) in Early Modern Poland

-          Wojciech Wydmański: Arbitration Courts in Lodz in 1918-1939 (TBC)

 

Panel 17: Pardons and Amnesties – Julie Rocheton, Blauwe Zaal

-          Louis Bremond: Amnesties: Concealing the Chaos

-          Elias Dessantis: Between Memory and Amnesia: World War II and the Belgian Amnesty

-          James Hannaford: The Politics of the Pardon: The Use of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy in Extradition Cases

-          Mihai Dragumirescu: The Gentle Hand of the Despot: State Forgiveness in Communist Romania

-          Grigorij Tschernjawskyj: Compromise in a divided Republic: Amnesty in Weimar Germany

Panel 18: Liberalism vs. Compromise – Sebastiaan Vandenbogaerde, Multimedialokaal

-          Wout Vandermeulen: No more compromises? The legal historical roots of art. 101-102 TFEU in German Ordoliberalism

-          Damian Szczepaniak: Between liberalism and socialism. Right to property in the work on the Polish March Constitution of 1921 

-          Delphine Sirks: Mutual marine insurances in early modern Friesland and Groningen

Panel 19: Compromise in Constitutional History – Wouter De Rycke, Rode Zaal

-          Giulia Mannarini: Compromise in the evolution of history and political-constitutional thought

-          Lawrence Whitworth: Does the gradual evolution of the legal process create compromise in legal decision-making, and, if so, does slow progression enhance the legal decision-making process by providing continuity or undermine the legal decision-making process through its inherent laggardness?

-          Antoine Leclère: The Liège Revolution and the Electoral Congress of Frankfurt (1790): A Constitutional Compromise in Question

-          Maksymilian Francuz: “The switch in time that saved nine” – the compromise at the heart of the “constitutional revolution” of 1937 in and around the Supreme Court of the United States

Panel 20: Ownership and Inheritance – Louis Bremond, Blauwe Zaal

-          Fangfang Tian: Possession, Ownership, and Fiction: Compromise in the Roman Law of Res

-          Yanwen Wang: Jurisprudence of Exception: The Soldier’s Will and Legal Compromise in Roman Inheritance Law

-          Vincent Van den Eynde: Between legal certainty and testamentary freedom: regulating testamentary inalienability clauses and third-party rights in the early modern southern Netherlands (c. 1500-1600)

VeVenue: Ghent University Aula Campus (Voldersstraat/Universiteitstraat, 9000 GHENT, Belgium).