VACANCY: Postdoctoral Researcher in Legal History (Helsinki: University of Helsinki, DEADLINE: 30 SEPTEMBER 2026)

(image: Main Building of the University of Helsinki; source: UH)

The University of Helsinki invites applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher in Legal History within the Centre of Excellence in Meliorist Philosophy of Suffering (MePhiS), funded by the Research Council of Finland. The position is based in the research team History of Ethics and Law of Responding to Suffering, hosted by the Faculty of Theology.

The successful candidate will conduct research in medieval or early modern legal history, with particular attention to how historical crises—including wars, famine, and natural catastrophes—challenged legal and ethical norms and how such circumstances were addressed through legislation and politics. The researcher will undertake independent and collaborative publications, participate in MePhiS activities, and contribute to teaching and administrative duties (approximately 5–10% of working time).

Applicants should hold a doctoral degree in a relevant humanities or social-sciences field, demonstrate expertise in legal history and the capacity for independent research, and possess excellent written and spoken English. International academic experience and high-quality peer-reviewed publications will be taken into account. 

The appointment is for three years, beginning in January 2027 or at another mutually agreed date. The annual gross salary is approximately €43,000–€50,000, depending on personal performance. The appointee is expected to reside in Finland during employment.

Applications should include a CV (max. 3 pages), publication list, motivation letter (max. 1 page), and research proposal (max. 3 pages). 

The application deadline is 30 September 2026.

For further details, application requirements, and submission instructions, please follow the link.

LECTURE SERIES: Helsinki Legal History Series (Spring 2024) [ONLINE]

(Image source: University of Helsinki)

How have collective identities shaped law, and how has law been used to affect, change or protect common identities? Does law recognize marginalized identities or is the history of law a narrative of exclusion?

The themes of the first meetings will be: 

• Mathilda Tarandi, 30.1.2024: Who was criminalised? Analysing the crime of abortion in Sweden, early 20th century.

Tarandi's research is on the crime and the decriminalisation of abortion in Sweden. The analysis starts in early 19th century and ends in 1975, when the formal decriminalisation entered into force. She is looking at what, or rather who, was criminalised. Studying material from the parliament as well as court archives, She explores how norms on female identity came into play in the legal discourse and how concepts such as guilt were used in the argumentation for decriminalisation. In this presentation, she will analyse the criminalised area in early 20th century. Borrowing from the humanities, she will reflect on the argumentation and criminalised area in relation to female archetypes.

• Moritz Vormbaum, 27.2.2024: ‘A Legal Instrument of the Political Power of the Working Class’ - The Criminal Law of the German Democratic Republic

 Today, more than 30 years after the German unification, not much is known about the criminal law of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). This is surprising, for the fact alone that, in 1968, the GDR enacted a new overall codification of criminal law – something that from 1871 until today no other German government has managed to do. In addition, a study of GDR criminal law gives us insights of the criminal law in an authoritarian regime based on socialist ideology. The presentation will give an overview of the development of substantive criminal law in East Germany from 1945 to 1990. Moreover, it will analyse the role of the judiciary and the Ministry for State Security in practice. Finally, it sketches a pattern of interpretation of GDR criminal law.

More information can be found here.

JOB: University Researchers: Law and the Uses of the Past (Helsinki) (DEADLINE: 27 March 2022)

 

(Source: University of Helsinki)

We learned of a job offer at the University of Helsinki. Here the call:

he Faculty of Social Sciences invites applications for the position of

UNIVERSITY RESEARCHER, LAW AND THE USES OF THE PAST

for a three-year fixed term period from 1 May 2022 onwards (or as agreed) to contribute to the subproject Law and the Uses of the Past of the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Law, Identity and the European Narratives (EuroStorie, www.eurostorie.org).

The CoE is a part of the interdisciplinary Centre of European Studies. The purpose of the CoE is to launch a new, third generation inquiry that critically explores the emergence of narratives of Europe as responses to the crises of the twentieth century and how these narratives have shaped the ideas of justice and community in Europe. It studies the foundational stories that underlie the contested idea of a shared European heritage in law and culture, such as the ideas of rule of law, equality, tolerance, pluralism and the rejection of totalitarianism, and their relevance for current debates on identity and history. The CoE is divided into three subprojects. For descriptions of the subprojects and their aims, please see https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/law-identity-and-the-european-....

The subproject Law and the Uses of the Past studies the emergence of the idea of a shared legal past in Europe. Its emphasis is on the history of legal and political thought and concepts central to the idea of Europe such as community and belonging, subsidiarity and federalism, centre and periphery, as well as memory and tradition. It utilizes methods from scientific fields as diverse as legal history, Roman law, political science, legal anthropology, the history of philosophy, intellectual history, the history of ideas, and historiographical theory. We invite unconventional projects that combine legal, historical and theoretical angles, as well as historical narratives from antiquity to the twentieth century. Projects with linkages with and relevance in other subprojects of the CoE are highly encouraged. We welcome applicants with a multidisciplinary academic background and experience in conducting high-level research in interdisciplinary groups. We offer an exciting and stimulating multidisciplinary research community.

 

More info about this offer can be found here

CONFERENCE: Legal Diversity and Regional Encounters: Plural Understandings of Law in Localised Contexts (19-20 October 2020, Helsinki) (DEADLINE: 15 April 2020)

(Source: University of Helsinki)

We learned of a call for papers for an international conference in Helsinki on “Legal Diversity and Regional Encounters: Plural Understandings of Law in Localised Contexts”. Here the call:

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/beta/development-of-russian-law-xiii/call-for-papers

The Faculty of Law in cooperation with Aleksanteri Institute of the University of Helsinki is pleased to announce the annual conference under the Development of Russian Law research project, which will take place in Helsinki on October 19-20, 2020. This conference continues the series of workshops, seminars, and conferences originated in legal scholarship on Russian law, organized by the Faculty of Law since 2008.

Current debates around legal pluralism focus on a variety of legal issues. The nexus of international, transnational, regional, domestic, or local levels of legal regulation questions the clearly defined spaces of law. The conception of domestic law or international law as a single realm has long been challenged in legal and transdisciplinary scholarship due to multiple and constantly incoming and outcoming influences. Law becomes a mixture of many things; it becomes a fluid institution that counter-intuitively changes as it is being practiced and rarely remains set in stone.

Legal diversity refers to the idea that in any one space of law there is more than one regulation or even more than just one legal system. The conference will explore legal pluralism by discussing factors that lead to legal diversity and plural sites of norm-production. It follows in the lengthy tradition of law/society relation and reconceptualization and examines several aspects of legal diversity focusing on the relationship between the empirical facts of pluralism and its conceptual foundations. Furthermore, we plan to define how international comparative experiences are relevant to legal-societal analysis and discuss in detail the multiple possible connections among different sites of law-making, practice, and experience.

A point of departure for this conference is its previous focus on Russia and the Russian law. As we intend to broaden the scope of the conference, we look at geographical location as one possible way to approach diversity. How does space define law? How does international community “view” certain spaces? What are the venues of legal diversity when we concentrate our attention on a geographical location? How does the very notion of space is also re-defined by diverse practices of law? In these endeavours we open the debates about legal pluralism beyond geopolitical space of Russia and invite scholars who work in other regions across the Globe from South and Eastern Europe to the Americas, from South-East Asia to Africa.

Legal systems are constantly interacting with each another, and in so doing, re-defining each other. Various schools of thought on legal diversity have studied such interactions under the banner of legal anthropology, systems theory, global legal pluralism, and others. Their commonality is the identification of legal practice as a procedure shaped through interactions among multiple legal orders. In the current moment of increased populist tendencies and re-emergent nationalisms, it is even more salient to re-visit the question of legal diversity.

We encourage submissions of individual papers and full panels in the following themes and beyond:

·         legal diversity as representing a multitude of differences that exists at the micro and macro levels to make social, cultural and legal models heterogeneous;

·         political and legal geographies;

·         postcolonial/colonial spaces;

·         topics that focus on and encompass different characteristics such as race, age, creed, national origin, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation and so on;

·         plurality of legal ontologies and resulting traditions/cultures;

·         comparative legal practice, legal transplants or legal ‘borrowing’ and hybrids;

·         comparative studies of law in diverse societies;

·         plural legal systems in same localities;

·         studies of resistance to international human rights norms;

·         mobilisation against equality;

·         local traditions vs legal norms;

·         queering law / queering legal studies;

·         legal pluralism and marriage equality;

·         asylum process and legal diversity;

·         race, ethnicity and law.

We welcome legal researchers from across disciplines to join our discussions of current issues in legal studies and law. We especially encourage younger scholars and graduate students to apply.

The working language of the conference is English. All presentations and discussions are held in this language.

The proposals shall be submitted by 15 April 2020 via online submission system: https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/103572/lomake.html

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Elena Cirkovic (elena.cirkovic@helsinki.fi) or Prof. Marianna Muravyeva  (marianna.muravyeva@helsinki.fi).

JOB: Postdoctoral Researcher – Law and the Uses of the Past (University of Helsinki) (DEADLINE: 15 December 2019)

(Source: University of Helsinki)

We learned that the University of Helsinki has an open position for a postdoctoral researcher in its “Law and the Uses of the Past” project. Here the call:

The University of Helsinki is the oldest and largest institution of academic education in Finland, an international scientific community of 40,000 students and researchers. In international university rankings, the University of Helsinki typically ranks among the top 100. The University of Helsinki seeks solutions for global challenges and creates new ways of thinking for the best of humanity. Through the power of science, the University has contributed to society, education and welfare since 1640.

The Faculty of Social Sciences is Finland’s leading research and education institution in the social sciences and also the most diverse in terms of its disciplines. In several research fields the Faculty belongs to the top 50 in the international rankings. The Faculty has a strong international profile both in research and teaching programmes. The number of academic staff stands at 450. Each year the faculty awards some 350 Bachelor’s degrees, 400 Master’s degrees, and more than 40 doctoral degrees. For more information on the Faculty of Social Sciences, please visit www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-social-sciences.

The Faculty of Social Sciences invites applications for the position of

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER

for a two-year fixed term period from 1 January 2020 onwards (or as agreed) to contribute to the subproject Law and the Uses of the Past of the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Law, Identity and the European Narratives (EuroStorie, www.eurostorie.org).

The CoE is a part of the interdisciplinary Centre of European Studies. The purpose of the CoE is to launch a new, third generation inquiry that critically explores the emergence of narratives of Europe as responses to the crises of the twentieth century and how these narratives have shaped the ideas of justice and community in Europe. It studies the foundational stories that underlie the contested idea of a shared European heritage in law and culture, such as the ideas of rule of law, equality, tolerance, pluralism and the rejection of totalitarianism, and their relevance for current debates on identity and history.

In this context, the subproject Law and the Uses of the Past will study the emergence of the idea of a shared legal past in Europe as a key to future integration. The main purpose of the subproject is to explore the transformation of the self-understanding and the history of law in Europe, from the interwar years to the post-war integration. Central themes are, in addition to the notion of a shared past, the rise of European integration, Transatlantic links in legal scholarship and the emergence of human rights thought. As such, the subproject will focus on literature study and archival research with respect to a number of crucial thinkers in the historical development of a European legal past. Experience in conducting archival research and an expertise in any of the native languages of these thinkers is a plus.

An appointee to the position must hold a doctoral degree in a relevant field of (legal) history, political science, or equivalent. Moreover, he or she is expected to have the ability to conduct independent scientific research and possess the teaching skills required for the position. The period following the completion of doctoral degree must not exceed five years, excluding family leave and equivalent periods of absence. An appointee must be able to provide a clear contribution to the theme of the CoE and to its general development, together with full-time researchers, postdocs, visiting faculty, Ph.D. students, and graduate students working as research assistants. To fulfil the research requirements of the position, the applicant chosen is expected to be physically present on a regular basis and actively participate in the research and teaching activities of the CoE. An appointee is expected to contribute 2 months of the annual work time to joint projects at the CoE, develop her/his own and our common research agenda, and contribute to collective academic tasks such as teaching, seminars and joint academic papers. The teaching requirement is 5% of working time.

The annual gross salary range will be approx. 41,000 – 50,000 euros, depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience. In addition, occupational healthcare will be provided. The employment contract will include a probationary period of six months.

Applicants are requested to enclose with their applications the following documents in English as a single pdf file:

1) A curriculum vitae (max 4 pages).
2) A numbered list of publications on which the applicant has marked in bold her or his five key publications to be considered during the review. (You do not need to send copies of the publications themselves.)
3) A statement (max 2 pages) outlining how the applicant’s expertise could contribute both to research conducted at the CoE and to this specific subproject.
4) A research plan (max 6 pages) with an outline of how the study would contribute to the SP1 aims.

For instructions, please see https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-social-sciences/faculty/applying-f....

Please submit your application through the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via the link Apply for job. Applicants who are employees of the University of Helsinki are requested to submit their application via the SAP HR portal.

Further information about the position, and about the research theme Law and the Uses of the Past, may be obtained (in English and Finnish) from Dr. Kaius Tuori (kaius.tuori@helsinki.fi).
In case you need support with the recruitment system, please contact recruitment@helsinki.fi.

Due date

15.12.2019 23:59 EET

More info here

CALL FOR PAPERS: Space and Governance: Towards a New Topography of Roman Administration (Rome, 3-4 April 2020) (DEADLINE: 1 December 2019)

(Source: University of Helsinki)

We learned of a call for papers on the topography of power in Republican and Imperial Rome. Here the call:

Call for pa­pers

The purpose of the conference is to explore the transformation of public space and administrative activities in Republican and Imperial Rome through an interdisciplinary exploration of the topography of power. The emergence of the Roman Republic produced a reorganization of the administrative structures, leading to the emergence of various entities and institutions responsible for organization and governance of Rome, its civic life and public spaces. In different ways, this spatial model was exported to the colonies with the expansion of the Republic. Throughout the Roman world, building projects created spaces, the topography of the city, for different civic purposes: for the meetings of assemblies, senate meetings, the administration of justice, the public treasury, and the management of the city through different magistracies, offices and even archives. These administrative spaces –open and closed– characterized the Roman life throughout the Republic and High Empire, until the profound administrative and judicial transformations of the Dominate. This conference aims to study the public and private spaces related to administration through the urban development, the existing interrelation between the different administrative bodies, the analysis of the architecture of the spaces already discovered and the study of the written sources. We will try to find an answer to the dilemmas such as where did the administration work? Were there offices and where were they located? Were there social class differences between the different levels of administration?

Themes:

•    Urban development and dynamics related to the expansion of the administration
•    New discoveries on the institutions and spaces of Roman administration
•    Architecture of spaces for public meetings and trials: Assemblies, Senate, courtrooms, basilicas
•    Private spaces in the administration: Residences of magistrates and the elite
•    Magistracies, offices and archives
•    Epigraphy related to the Roman administration
•    Development of institutions between early Republic and Late Antiquity
•    New methodologies in Roman topography
•    Gender, intersectionality and public space

Keynote speakers: Paolo Liverani (Università degli Studi di Firenze), Elena Isayev (University of Exeter) and Pier Luigi Tucci (Johns Hopkins University).

The conference is organized by the ERC-funded project Law, Governance and Space: Questioning the Foundations of the Republican Tradition (SpaceLaw), based at the University of Helsinki. There is no conference fee. The organizers are unfortunately unable to aid in either travel or accommodation arrangements or the cost of travel or accommodation.

Abstracts should be 300 words maximum, for 20-minute papers to be delivered in English. Abstracts should be sent to lawgovernanceandspace@gmail.com. The deadline for abstracts is 1 December 2019.

Questions may be sent to Antonio Lopez Garcia (antonio.lopezgarcia@helsinki.fi).

More info with the University of Helsinki

CONFERENCE: Liberalism – Historical and Contemporary Variations (Helsinki, 24-25 October 2019)

(Source: University of Helsinki)

The University of Helsinki has published the preliminary program for its conference on liberalism.

University of Helsinki, 24-25 October 2019. Yliopistonkatu 3, 00100 Helsinki, Porthania IV (Suomen Laki Hall)

Keynotes: Quinn Slobodian (Wellesley), Werner Bonefeld (York), Sonja Amadae (Helsinki)

Organized by the Centre of Excellence in Law, Identity and the European Narratives (EuroStorie)

Preliminary programme (please note that the programme is still subject to change)

24 October 2019

09:30-10:45 Keynote: Quinn Slobodian (Wellesley College): TBC

10:45-11:00 Coffee break

11:00-13:00 Ordoliberalism
Olimpia Malatesta (University of Bologna): Ordoliberalism as a philosophy of crisis: On the “end of capitalism” and the legacy of 19th-century social sciences
Timo Miettinen (University of Helsinki): TBC
Pavlos Roufos (Kassel University): The political economy of Ordoliberalism: Weimar, 1929 and Nazism as determinants of the ordoliberal framework
Richard Sturn & Nenad Pantelic (University of Graz): Varieties of Liberalism between Resilience and Crisis

14:30-16:00 Christian political movements and liberalism
Merijn Oudenampsen (University of Amsterdam): The responsible society: neoliberalism and Dutch Christian Democracy
Benjamin Thomas (University Of Nottingham): Refraction as a model for neo-liberalisation
Johan Strang (University of Helsinki): Democracy with or without liberalism? The Scandinavian post-war settlement

16:15-17:45 Liberalism Beyond Europe
Geetanjali Srikantan (Tilburg University): Liberalism as Moral Instruction: Examining the Rejection of Colonial Law in Post-Colonial Judicial Interventions on Religion, Gender and Sexuality in India
Hélène Mayrand (University of Sherbrooke): International Environmental Law as a Neo-Liberal Project
Jeremy Gould (University of Helsinki): Tracking the return migration of Imperial liberalism from the postcolony to the metropole

25 October 2019

09:00-10:15 Keynote: Werner Bonefeld (University of York): TBC

10:15-10:30 Coffee break

10:30-12:30 Liberalism’s antagonists
Ville Suuronen (University of Helsinki): TBC
Peter Povilonis (Humboldt University of Berlin): An Old Story: (Neo-)liberalism’s Connection to Totalitarianism
Tuukka Brunila (University of Helsinki): Limiting the political: Carl Schmitt’s transformative critique of liberalism
Ben Schupmann (Duke Kunshan University): Liberalism and Constrained Democracy

14:00-16:00 Post-war history of liberalism
Kangle Zhang (University of Helsinki): Merton Miller and the Rise of Financial Liberalization
Konsta Kotilainen (University of Helsinki): A General Crisis of Liberalism?
Pauli Heikkilä (University of Helsinki): Between national liberation and international liberalism. Committee of Liberal Exiles
Marko Ampuja (Tampere University): Neoliberalism as Ideology Critique: Hayek, von Mises and Schumpeter on the Intellectual and Cultural Hostility to Capitalism

16:15-17:30 Keynote: Sonja Amadae (University of Helsinki): TBC

All info can be found here

PHD FELLOWSHIPS: 2-4 Doctoral Candidate Positions, University of Helsinki (DEADLINE: 30 April 2019)

(Source: University of Helsinki)

The University of Helsinki has a call for doctoral candidate positions at its law school. Here the call:

The University of Helsinki, founded in 1640, is one of the best multidisciplinary research universities in the world. The University has four doctoral schools, which offer a total of 32 doctoral programmes. Doctoral students in the Doctoral Programme in Law is an employee at the Faculty of Law, but can carry out research in any field in law. The Doctoral Programme in Law is part of the Doctoral School in Humanities and Social Sciences.

The Faculty of Law invites applications for

2-4 DOCTORAL CANDIDATE POSITIONS

for a 1-2 year period starting from August 1 2019. The employment can also start earlier.

The duties of a doctoral candidate are to work on their doctoral thesis and to complete the doctoral studies determined by the doctoral programme’s curriculum. The duties may also include teaching and other tasks for up to 5 % of the annual working time.

The appointee must obtain the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/research/doctoral-education/the-application-p...). Other requirements include the ability and motivation, as demonstrated through previous degree studies or otherwise, to pursue the doctoral degree according to the research proposal and the accompanying study plan. The research proposal should indicate that the on-going dissertation will be completed during the mentioned employment period.

When selecting the doctoral students, the steering committee will take into consideration the quality of the research proposal, the topic of research and its impact, previous academic performance of the applicants during their earlier studies and time in which the studies were completed, and feasibility of the study plan.

Following enclosures must be attached as single pdf-file to the application:

- research plan (max 5 pages)
- the supervisor's statement ensuring that the dissertation can be completed during the mentioned employment period
- study plan, based on the study requirements and courses of the Faculty of Law (max 2 pages): study plan should include timetable and information on possible previous tasks and funding for this research project
- curriculum vitae and a list of (possible) publications (or alternatively, an academic portfolio containing the above mentioned documents and information) (max 3 pages); for further information about the academic portfolio, visit the University’s website at
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/university/working-at-the-university/how-to-a...

The salary for the doctoral candidate position is based on levels 3–4 of the job requirement scheme for teaching and research personnel in the salary system of Finnish universities. In addition, the appointee shall be paid a salary component based on personal work performance. Depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience, the salary is EUR 2562–3059 per month. A four-month trial period will be applied.

Apply for the position in the University’s recruitment system by clicking the APPLY LINK below. Internal applicants (i.e., current employees of the University of Helsinki) must submit their applications through the SAP HR portal (https://saphr.it.helsinki.fi/irj/portal).

Before starting to fill in the application form, familiarize yourself with these general instructions for applying for UH-funded salaried positions, https://www.helsinki.fi/en/research/instructions-for-applying-for-uh-fun... (including also instructions for attachments concerning degree certificates).

The deadline for applications is April 30 2019 at 23.59 (UTC+2).

For further information on the doctoral student positions, please contact Dean Pia Letto-Vanamo (+29 41 23336) or HR Coordinator Stella Mattsson (+29 41 28494).

Technical support for using the recruitment system: rekrytointi(at)helsinki.fi.

Due date

30.04.2019 23:59 EEST

All information can be found here

CALL FOR PAPERS: Liberalism – Historical and Contemporary Variations (University of Helsinki, 24-25 October 2019), DEADLINE: 15 MAY 2019

(Source: University of Helsinki)

We learned of a Call for Papers for a conference on liberal doctrine (including in relation to law) in the past 100 years at the University of Helsinki. Here the call:

University of Helsinki, October 24th - 25th 2019

Keynotes: Quinn Slobodian (Wellesley), Werner Bonefeld (York), Sonja Amadae (Helsinki)

Organized by the Centre of Excellence in Law, Identity and the European Narratives (EuroStorie), Academy of Finland

The fate and future of liberalism is one of the central questions of our times. In the European context, nationalist and populist movements are challenging its central achievements: peace, economic integration and the rule of law. Recent developments in Europe, the US and Latin America have posed a serious threat to democratic institutions and rule-based international order. All in all, the optimistic visions of the post-1989 world are being replaced with more pessimistic accounts on the future of liberalism. In February 2018, The Atlantic even called the “death of liberalism” the biggest mass funeral since the “death of God”.

At the same time, the very concept of liberalism suffers from several ambiguities. As a historical phenomenon and a concept, liberalism has been used to denote a variety positions and dogmas from extreme libertarianism to moderate forms of social liberalism, from value liberalism to Third Way reformism. This concerns particularly the problematic concept of neo-liberalism that evidently constitutes one of the key strains of contemporary liberalism. Many see neoliberalism as the leading ideology of our times, yet there are very few who actually call themselves neoliberal.

This conference seeks to bring analytic clarity to the concepts of liberalism by investigating into its historical and contemporary variations. We pay special attention to the various reconfigurations of the liberal doctrine that emerged in the context of interwar and post-WWII Europe (e.g. different forms of neo-liberalism, German ordoliberalism, social liberalism). We invite presentations that discuss particularly the theoretical underpinnings and intellectual transformations of the liberal doctrine in the past 100 years with a focus on the following questions:

What were the key theoretical and intellectual questions that defined the emergence of different “new” liberalisms (neo-liberalism, ordoliberalism, social liberalism etc.) in the interwar period? What kinds of intellectual and philosophical resources they employed?

How should we understand the relation between liberalism as a theoretical or moral-philosophical doctrine vs. political movement? What were the main political strategies of different liberalisms?

How has contemporary liberalism employed the conceptual and theoretical tools of individual sciences such as economics, law, and political science?

The conference will be held at the University of Helsinki, October 24-25, 2019. Please send your abstracts (max. 400 words) with relevant contact info to the address: liberalism2019@helsinki.fi by May 15, 2019. For practical information, please consult our coordinator Dr. Heta Björklund (heta.bjorklund@helsinki.fi). The organizers are unfortunately unable to assist with travel or accommodation arrangements or costs.

All information here

CALL FOR PAPERS: 2019 John Locke Conference, Helsinki 29-31 July 2019 (DEADLINE: December 31, 2018)

(Source: University of Helsinki)

We learned of a Call for Papers for the 2019 John Locke Conference at the University of Helsinki.

2019 John Locke Conference, University of Helsinki, July 2019

THE 2019 JOHN LOCKE CONFERENCE

University of Helsinki, Finland
July 29-31, 2019

DEAD­LINE: DECEM­BER 31, 2018

The aim of the second official conference of the John Locke Society (JLS) is to foster interactions among Locke scholars from different disciplines and encourage the development of new scholarship on Locke’s works. Abstracts (of no more than 750 words) on any topic pertaining to Locke are due by DECEMBER 31, 2018 and can be sent to johnlockeconference2019@gmail.com. Final papers should be no longer than 5000 words. The full program will be made available in February 2019. Further information regarding the conference, accommodation options, and other practical matters will be available at that time.

Or­gan­iz­ing com­mit­tee:

Vili Lähteenmäki (University of Helsinki)
Douglas Casson (St. Olaf College)
Antonia Lolordo (University of Virginia)
Shelley Weinberg (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

More information here

JOB: Doctoral Student on Spaces of Roman Republicanism (University of Helsinki, DEADLINE: 17 September 2018)

(Source: University of Helsinki)

We learned of a Call for Application for a position as doctoral student in Roman law, within the University of Helsinki’s research project “Law, Governance and Space: Questioning the Foundations of the Republican Tradition”. Here the call:

The University of Helsinki is the oldest and largest institution of academic education in Finland, an international scientific community of 40,000 students and researchers. In international university rankings, the University of Helsinki typically ranks among the top 100. The University of Helsinki seeks solutions for global challenges and creates new ways of thinking for the best of humanity. Through the power of science, the University has contributed to society, education and welfare since 1640.

The Faculty of Social Sciences invites applications for the position of a

DOCTORAL STUDENT ON SPACES OF ROMAN REPUBLICANISM

for a fixed term of four years starting from 1 November 2018 onwards (or as agreed) to contribute to the research project Law, Governance and Space: Questioning the Foundations of the Republican Tradition (SpaceLaw, www.spacelaw.fi).

Successful candidates are expected to work full time and to complete their doctorates in four years.

The SpaceLaw research project is located at the Centre for European Studies of the University of Helsinki. It is funded by an ERC Consolidator Grant and led by Dr. Kaius Tuori.

The project has two main research questions that explore the theme by the confrontation of ideas and their contexts in both the ancient Roman Republican tradition and its afterlife in the European tradition:

1) What is the relationship between the Republican ideals and administrative practices and how is their change visible in the spaces of administration from the Roman Republic to modern Republicanism?

2) How the changes in the context and space of administration reflect in the social topography, the public and private spheres of governance?

Administrative professionalization has conventionally been the hallmark of a modern state. Ever since Weber, the conceptual separation of the office and its holder has defined the European way of governance. This separation equally defined it from both its feudalistic predecessors and failed states prone to corruption and nepotism. The origin of this European tradition of the separation of public and private has been seen in the Roman Republican state with its strict responsibilities, term limits and defined powers of its magistracies. This separation was made concrete in the building of public spaces for political and administrative purposes, in settings whose magnificence and grandeur reflected the value that the society held them. In the European tradition, public spaces were a demonstration of public power. While the spatial settings as have been studied in relation to monarchical settings like courts, Republican administration has been neglected. The problem is that much of what is known about the Roman Republican administrative practice fits this image badly. For example how is it possible to have professional administration if the magistrates are not paid and have no offices to work? The purpose of this project is to challenge that assumption and to propose a new model of the Roman governance through a novel re-evaluation of the ancient Roman administrative tradition and its links with the European heritage through the issue of administrative space. Spatial analysis allows the observer to break beyond the limits of the self-understanding of the sources and to approach fundamental connections between questions of power, law and governance.

The doctoral student will work on a thesis linked with subprojects A and C of the project.

Subproject A: The Emergence of the Republican Tradition explores how the Republican tradition of administration was shaped by its historic, spatial, economic, social and philosophical contexts by examining four case studies. How does the change in the interpretations of the tradition correspond with the changes in its spatial and immaterial context? The results of a survey of the corpus of the Roman Republican texts on the theory and practice of administration and administrative space will be compared with the other case studies of the Republicanist tradition.

Subproject C: The Legal Framework and the Administrative Process analyses how Roman jurists and other elite authors conceptualized the legal framework of the administrative state and the process of administration. How jurisprudence and legal practice conceptualized space in administration? What were the needs and requirements of space for legal administration and how do legal texts reflect space? The result will be an unorthodox interpretation of how the law created space and was created in spaces such as the Forum.

The doctoral student may have a background in law, humanities and/or social sciences. Students with different specializations in i.a classics, intellectual history, ancient history and Roman law are encouraged to apply.

The duties of a doctoral student are to work on her/his own doctoral thesis and to complete her/his postgraduate studies in four years. The duties also include teaching and other tasks. Teaching tasks can account for up to 5 % of the annual working time.

Applicants should hold a Master’s degree in a field that is relevant to the research topic and have a high quality research proposal. Relevant disciplines include but are not limited to classics, ancient history, intellectual history, general history, and Roman law. Other requirements include proven ability and motivation, demonstrated through previous degree studies or otherwise, to pursue postgraduate studies and a doctoral degree according to the study plan and research proposal. Fluency in English language is required.

The appointee should either already have the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki by the start of the appointment, or apply for the right and obtain it within the probationary period of six months of their appointment. If the candidate does not already have the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki, it must be applied for separately. (www.helsinki.fi/en/research/doctoral-education/the-application-process-i...).

The salary shall be based on levels 2–4 of the job requirement scheme for teaching and research staff in the salary system of Finnish universities. In addition, a salary component based on personal performance will be paid. The gross salary range will be approx. 2065–3022 euros per month, depending on the appointee’s qualifications and work experience. In addition, occupational healthcare will be provided. The appointment starts with a probationary period of six months.

Applicants are requested to enclose with their applications the following documents as a single pdf file:
1) A curriculum vitae (max 2 pages).
2) A list of publications.
3) A research plan not exceeding four (4) pages including a statement outlining how the proposed topic fits to the profile of the research project.
4) Contact information and recommendation from one referee.

For instructions, please see https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-social-sciences/faculty/applying-f....

Please submit your application through the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via the link Apply for job. Applicants who are employees of the University of Helsinki are requested to submit their application via the SAP HR portal.

Further information about the position and about the research project Law, Governance and Space: Questioning the Foundations of the Republican Tradition may be obtained (in Finnish and English) from Dr. Kaius Tuori (kaius.tuori@helsinki.fi). In case you need support with the recruitment system, please contact recruitment@helsinki.fi.

Due date

17.09.2018 23:59 EEST

More information here

CFP: "The Making of Commercial Law” Fifth Conference: (Helsinki, 26-28 September 2017)

WHAT The Making of Commercial Law Fifth Conference, Historiography of Commercial Law: Past, Present, and Future 

WHEN September 26-28, 2017

WHERE University of Helsinki, Law Faculty, Helsinki 

deadline March 31, 2017

“The Making of Commercial Law” Conference n:o 5 - Historiography of Commercial Law: Past, Present, and Future (Helsinki, 26-28 September 2017), Doctoral school session

The organisers of the 5th conference of the project ”The Making of Commercial Law” are pleased to call for papers for a doctoral school session at the upcoming conference ”Historiography of Commercial Law: Past, Present, and Future” to be held in Helsinki, Finland on 26-28 September, 2017. The director of the project is Prof. Heikki Pihlajamäki (University of Helsinki, email: heikki.pihlajamaki@helsinki.fi), and it is funded by the Academy of Finland and the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

The project seeks to study the history of commercial law through contemporary scholarly literature and statutory material as well as court records, thus re-evaluating the concept of a medieval and early modern lex mercatoria. According to critics, the main problem with this concept is that it is lacking empirical evidence, at least if a legally binding commercial practice in the form of lex mercatoria is thought to have covered more or less the whole European continent. More local studies are still needed, however, to find out to what extent common rules or practices existed, how binding they were, and whether commercial disputes were solved in courts of law or elsewhere in different parts of Europe. Because historical arguments have been used to bolster modern legal theories of modern lex mercatoria, it is pivotally important to screen the historical argumentation and to do it comparatively, setting national histories in an international context.

This conference aims to examine the historiography of commercial law in a broad perspective. First, there will be presentations by invited scholars from various European countries discussing the historiography in their respective regions (The Past). The second conference day will begin with a debate with invited historians and positive-law scholars discussing, e. g., the relationship between history and positive law in commercial matters (The Present). The final part of the conference is dedicated to a doctoral school for Ph.D. students introducing their current research (The Future). The preliminary programme of the Past and Present sections is available on our project website: http://blogs.helsinki.fi/makingcommerciallaw/

Six Ph.D. students will be selected through this open call to participate in the doctoral school session. The presentations (15 min) will first be commented by a senior researcher (10 min) followed by a discussion (10 min) Papers may cover the history of commercial law from the medieval to the modern period. Presentations should be in English. For the six selected students, hotel accommodation in single rooms for two nights in Helsinki and travel costs up to 500 euros per person will be paid. More students may be selected to participate at their own cost and conference fee of 50 euros.

To offer a paper, please send the title of the paper, a short abstract (200-400 words), and a short CV to the project coordinator Jussi Sallila (jussi.sallila@helsinki.fi) by 31 March, 2017. Accepted papers will be announced by 15 April, 2017.