24th UBC Interdisciplinary Legal Studies Graduate Conference

Event Description:

Resilience and the Law in Times of Crisis

Call for Abstracts:
Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia (UBC) is proud to invite graduate students from all disciplines to participate in the 24th UBC Interdisciplinary Legal Studies Graduate Conference to be held on May 4-5, 2023, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Vancouver is on the unceded, ancestral and occupied traditional lands of the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish Nations.

The Conference provides graduate students and junior scholars with an opportunity to showcase their research, discuss ideas, receive feedback on works in progress, and network with peers. In response to the global turbulence of the past few years, we invite abstracts from any discipline that aligns with the conference theme, Resilience and the Law in Times of Crisis. The theme should be interpreted broadly.

Globally, we continue to confront extremely complex challenges—ranging from the climate emergency to national and international conflicts to global public health emergencies to the waves of refugee exoduses to economic destabilization and ever-growing financial inequality—all of which have grave human implications. Developing innovative ideas through rigorous engagement across methods, disciplines, and communication techniques are key as we forge resilient solutions to enduring global crises.

Abstracts may be on any topic. We strongly encourage innovative thought and research. Below is a non-exhaustive list of suggested topic areas including (but not limited to):
· Criminal law, criminalization, criminal justice, abolition, penal reform
· Environmental law, climate justice, climate emergency, food resiliency
· Feminist theory, queer theory, critical race theory, intersectionalities, coalitional spaces
· Indigenous law and theory, anticolonial studies, TWAIL
· Law and economics
· Law and literature, law and the humanities, language and the law
· Law and public health
· Law and public policy
· Private Law, ESG principles, business and human rights
· Public International law, transnational law and human rights
· Social justice, movement lawyering, advocacy and the law
· Socio-legal studies

We also welcome abstracts that engage with innovative research methods, such as visual methodologies, participatory approaches, arts-based methods, ethnographic fieldworks, online or digital research, mixed qualitative/quantitative approaches, comparative legal methods, and socio-legal methods.

Embracing the theme of Resilience and the Law in Times of Crisis, we also invite submissions from applicants who wish to present in a format other than a paper panel, such as through film, visual art, an interactive workshop, or a poster presentation. Please indicate along with your abstract how you intend to present your work.

Submissions:
Submissions should include the title of the paper or project, a 250-word abstract in English, the author’s name, email address, institutional affiliation, and an up-to-date CV. We welcome submissions from current graduate students and junior scholars (no more than three-years post-graduation). Submissions from JD or LLB students may also be considered.

Please send submissions via email to ILSconference@gss.ubc.ca with the subject line “Submission_[First Name]_[Last Name]” by February 28, 2023. Please combine your paper abstract and CV into one file for submission. Please ensure that your attached document conforms to the file name convention: “[First Name]_[Last Name].”

Applicants will be notified via email if they have been offered a place at the conference by March 13, 2023. Successful applicants must register and pay the $100 (CAD) conference registration fee by March 21, 2023. Those who wish to attend the optional welcome dinner on the evening of May 4, 2023, must also pay an additional $75 (CAD) at the time of registration.

Financial Support:
We are delighted to offer limited contributions of financial support toward the conference registration fee to exceptional graduate students who would otherwise be unable to attend due to financial constraints. These limited contributions of financial support may vary and depend on available funding. To be considered for the scholarship, please include a maximum 250-word personal statement explaining why you need this support. Funding statements should be included with your submission material and will be assessed based on financial need, academic merit, and conference contribution. Successful applicants will be notified by March 13, 2023.

For more information, please check out our website.