Kent Critical Law Society has issued a call for papers exploring the theme of ‘Division, Difference and Democracy’ and their relationship with the law in advance of its flagship annual conference in March.
The one-day conference, organised by students for students, will be held in in the Grimond Building on Kent’s Canterbury campus on Saturday 16 March.
This year’s organising committee said: ‘We presently face a volatile political atmosphere, both within and between nations. Now more than ever, we are witnessing division of a destructive nature spanning a range of vital issues: social disparity, economic injustice and environmental crisis. These trends are challenging our theoretical and political understanding of democracy; while at the same time, posing evermore complex questions as to how and whether democracy can overcome these divisions.’
A non-exhaustive list of possible themes for discussion at the conference include:
- Brexit & the European Union
- The Rising Right Wing vs The Fighting Left Wing
- Global Divergence
- Adaptation to Crisis
- Law & Social Change
- Law & Economy
- Gender, Sexuality & Law
- Race, Religion & Law
- Human Rights & Progress
- Criminal Law & Criminal Justice
- Technological Advancement, Power & Law
- Immigration & Asylum
- Environmental Law & Climate Change
- Mental Health Law
- Legal Philosophy
- Legal History
- Division & Time, Old vs New
- Properties of Difference, Public vs Private
- Reading Law through Literature
- Employment & Labour
- Equity
- Media Law, the Social & the Anti-social
In addition to student papers, the conference will host a number of keynote sessions (with keynote speakers to be confirmed in the new year).
Papers (including interdisciplinary papers) are welcomed from students across all stages (undergraduate and postgraduate). Contributors are asked to submit an abstract of no more than 250 words, together with a short biography, to conferencekclsoc@kent.ac.uk by Friday 8 February 2019.
There will be a small conference fee to cover costs, refreshments and lunch. A limited amount of funding will be available to subsidise travel to the University of Kent from within the UK – KCLS relies on a small amount of funding and cannot guarantee it will cover all costs, but will strive to accommodate speakers’ needs where necessary.
Enquiries about the conference can be directed to: presidentkclsoc@kent.ac.uk
Kent Critical Law Society (KCLS) is a student law organisation group at Kent Law School which promotes the aims of critical legal studies and critical legal thought. Each year it hosts a critical law conference that attracts academics, practitioners and students from across the UK and overseas.
For more information about KCLS, follow the society on Facebook and Instagram.