CALL FOR PAPERS: 50th Anniversary Conference of the Québec Society of Comparative Law (27-29 October 2011)

I just received the following call for papers for the 50th Anniversary Conference of the Québec Society of Comparative Law (QSCL) to be held at the Université de Sherbrooke from 27-29 October 2011: The submission deadline is 1 October 2010:

For nearly 50 years, the Québec Society of Comparative Law has brought together legal scholars, lawyers, judges and graduate students sharing an interest in comparative law. The Association’s main activities include organising an annual conference, awarding prizes for outstanding student works in comparative law, informing its members of upcoming events of interest and providing financial support to enable reporters from Québec to take part in congresses of the International Academy of Comparative Law. The Society has played an essential role in promoting the comparative study of legal systems and traditions.

To celebrate its 50 years of existence, the Society is organising a conference inviting a critical examination of its very mission: comparative law. The enduring presence of comparative studies in the legal environment is perhaps surprising: neither a field of law nor a discipline in its own right, comparative law continues to be an object of research and debate. This conference will serve to reflect on comparative law as a foundational endeavour by addressing topics and themes related to its past, present, and future. Proposals for the 50th Anniversary Conference might address one or several of the following themes, or even suggest others:

• A look at the past: the foundations of comparative law
o The jurists who have shaped comparative law: their dreams, works, successes and failures.
o Mobilisation for the sake of comparative law: a history of the associations and institutions that have helped to develop and promote the comparative study of law.
o Contributions of comparative law to positive law: the influence of comparative law in codification, legislative reform and case law.
o The place of comparative law in the history of legal thought.

• A look at the present : comparative law today
o The role of comparative law in facilitating cohabitation, coordination and harmonisation of national and supranational legal systems.
o Linguistic diversity within legal systems: an obstacle or a challenge for comparative law?
o The place of comparative law in academic teaching and research.
o The role of comparative law in practice.
o The new “comparative lawyers” and the transnational practice of law.
o “Families”, “traditions”, “legal transplants”, “viruses”, etc.: the metaphors of comparative law.

• A look at the future: comparative law tomorrow
o “A small, small world” or the globalisation of law: with the decline of national legal systems, will comparative law become obsolete?
o Does comparative law really contribute to the knowledge of law?
o Comparative legal research: with or without method?
o Comparative law as a bridge between national legal communities: the example of mixed legal systems.
o The next 50 years of comparative law: who, why, how?

Proposals must include a title and summary (500 words maximum), with a short biography (250 words maximum), and be submitted by October 1st, 2010 to the President of the Society, Professor Nathalie Vézina (Nathalie.Vezina@USherbrooke.ca). The Scientific Committee will communicate its decision as of the month of December, 2010.

Speakers whose proposals are accepted by the Scientific Committee must be prepared to pay their conference fees, cost of travel and accommodation to attend the conference.

Financial assistance may be available to cover some of these costs, in accordance with the needs of individual speakers and depending on sources of funding.

Speakers will be invited to submit a paper for publication in the Conference proceedings.

Additional information will follow regarding the modalities of such publication.

All contributions may be in French or in English.

Scientific Committee :

Michelle Cumyn, professor, Université Laval
Mathieu Devinat, professor, Université de Sherbrooke
David Gilles, professor, Université de Sherbrooke
Michel Morin, professor, Université de Montréal
Nathalie Vézina, professor, Université de Sherbrooke and Committee president

For further information : www.aqdc.qc.ca.