The 38th Annual Conference of the Australian and New Zealand Law and History Society will be held in Melbourne, at Victoria University’s City Queen Campus from 11 to 14 December 2019.
The Society invites those who bring an historical perspective on law to consider together the many ways our work has in the past, and continues in the future, to matter.
This historical perspective on law is broadly defined – and includes those who position law in a temporal frame, who write legal history or histories of law, lawmaking, legal ideas, jurisprudence, jurisdiction or legal institutions and their personnel.
Does Law’s History Matter? The Politics of our Disciplinary Practices
Writing law’s history has long been understood as a purposeful practice, both necessary and never complete, as the eminent British historian FW Maitland noted more than a century ago. Today, with the flourishing of imperial and postcolonial scholarship, Maitland’s advocacy of researching law’s past prompts renewed attention to the progenitors, methods and politics of our disciplinary practices.
The imperative of capturing and presenting that knowledge seems greater than ever before. Yet for those of us engaged in historical study it can often appear that what we do, and why we do it, is not always well recognised or as valued as it should be. Simultaneously, questions abound about the implications of our practice and its political impact or purpose.
This conference will examine the value of studying law’s history in its many forms.
call for papers
Please email proposals for either individual papers (20 mins), panels of three or four speakers or both to the ANZLHS Organising Committee.
Individual paper proposals must include an abstract (no more than 300 words) and a biographical statement (no more than 100 words) for each speaker.
Panel proposals should include the above, plus a panel title and brief rationale for the panel as a whole (no more than 300 words).
Deadline 21 July 2019.
The Organising Committee plans to notify successful proposals in late July/August 2019.
All presenters must be financial members of the Australia and New Zealand Law and History Society for 2019. Please go to the ANZLHS website to register or renew your membership.