Announcements: Workshop at LSE, Tel-Aviv Conference-Call for Papers, Boat Refugees Conference in London, Postdoc Positions in Oslo, Call for Papers on Syria, Lecture in Brussels on Ethics in International Disputes

1.  “Sociological Inquires into International Law” (LSE, May 16-17, 2014). The aim of this workshop is to help bring contemporary international law scholarship into a closer conversation with a number of inspiring and theoretically rich literatures on law and markets deriving from traditions of thinking within sociology and anthropology.  We are convinced that, particularly within the field of international economic law, a deeper and more informed engagement with a range of sociological and social theoretic modes of thinking is necessary for intellectual renewal. For details, please visit the workshop site here. If you would like to attend the workshop (and due to the limited available seats), please contact  Gosia Brown (G.M.Brown {at} lse.ac(.)uk)  in advance.

2. Call for Papers – The 2nd Annual TAU Workshop for Junior Scholars: Law Between Normativity and Pragmatism, Tel-Aviv, 10-11 November 2014. When courts are required to reach a decision, they are often faced with the dilemma whether to give primacy to the pragmatic implications of the litigation on the case or to its normative effects on society at large. This pull between normativity and pragmatism is not only the province of courts, but defines law in its essence throughout its diverse fields and manifestations. How ought law deal with the inherent tension between solving specific cases and setting general rules? What are the obligations of states towards foreign individuals or communities under this framework? Read the full call for papers here.

3.  Registration is now open for the Conference ‘”Boat Refugees” and Migrants at Sea: A Comprehensive Approach – Integrating Maritime Security with Human Rights’, to be held on 23-24 June at Senate House, London. This conference aims to comprehensively address the contemporary phenomenon of ‘boat migration’ with a holistic approach. We will consider its multiple facets, combining knowledge from several disciplines and regions of the world, with a view to making a decisive contribution to our understanding of current trends, against the background of the fragmentary responses adopted and innumerable tragedies occurred thus far. Convened by the Refugee Law Initiative and Queen Mary University of London – with support from Athens University and UACES – this innovative event brings together more than 30 expert speakers from academia, NGOs, Frontex, UNHCR, IOM and other institutions. The keynotes are from Professor Guy Goodwin-Gill (Oxford) and Professor François Crépeau (Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Migrants). For further information on the conference, including the programme, please see here. As places are limited, register at the earliest opportunity. The relevant link to the online registration facility with an indication of the applicable fee categories (full, UACES members, and students) is here.

4.  PluriCourts—Centre for the Study of the Legitimate Roles of the Judiciary in the Global Order, University of Oslo–is announcing three positions as postdoctoral researcher in the following fields: International Criminal Law, International Environmental Law and International Investment Tribunals. For details, see here.

5.  The Qatar University, College of Law and the Qatari Branch of the ILA announce a special issue of the International Review of Law on the Syrian Crisis and International Law. Contributions should discuss public international law, including collective security and the use of force as well as papers exploring the applicability of the Responsibility to Protect theory; international humanitarian law and international human rights law including the relationship of the two bodies of law in the Syrian context; international criminal law – procedural and substantive aspects; or refugee protection and the international ramifications in the Arab region. International Review of Law is a bilingual (English & Arabic content), open-access, peer-reviewed international law journal published by QScience.com. Those interested in contributing are requested to respond to this call for papers by sending in their submissions by August 15^th, 2014. For more information, see here.

6.  The European Society of International Law (ESIL), together with the law firm Stibbe, will co-organize a lunchtime lecture entitled: Ethics in International Disputes. This lecture will be delivered by Judge Jean-Pierre Cot, Judge at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and former ad hoc Judge at the International Court of Justice, on Tuesday, 3 June 2014, 12h00 at the office of Stibbe, Central Plaza, Loksumstraat 25 Rue de Loxum, 1000 Brussels. Judge Cot’s address will be followed by comments in response by Françoise Lefèvre, Partner and Global Head of Arbitration at Linklaters in Brussels. Opening and closing remarks will be provided by ESIL President Laurence Boisson de Chazournes, Kathleen Claussen, ESIL member, and Bart Volders, Partner at Stibbe. A light sandwich lunch will be available. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required as space is limited. Please register at this website by 27 May 2014.