The Daily Life of International Law - Call for Papers

Event Details

The British Institute of International & Comparative Law and the SLS International Law section, invite abstracts for the annual joint workshop that will take place on October 29, 2026 under the title 'The Daily Life of International Law'. The workshop will take place at Charles Clore House in Russell Square, London in a hybrid mode. Attendance in person is strongly encouraged but online participation will be facilitated for those unable to be present in person.

International law is a field which has direct effect in the lives of individuals and communities. The impacts are most obvious when we think about those who work and engage in international law activities including and beyond the realms of government and diplomacy - whether working for international organizations or engaging in cross-border trade. We often also think of impacts on the lives of people when international law fails to achieve its objectives especially around peace and security and the protection of human rights.

Equally, however, international law shapes the everyday life of people in ways that are often concealed from the media headlines and with little recognition of the international law link to those daily aspects of life. This applies in a wide range of contexts from the courts to the aisles of planes and of supermarkets. The ripple effects of recent international events on people's daily lives have brought more attention to these impacts.

The workshop examines these parameters and realities and seeks to elaborate on the countless ways in which international law is a daily lived reality, including the opportunities and challenges that this brings for those involved and for international law itself.

With a view of this, BIICL and the SLS International Law Section are calling for abstracts to be submitted for presentations (and panels). Some indicative topics include:

• How international law matters to the everyday application of other fields, such as history, sociology, psychology or linguistics.
• How international law aspires to and impacts people's everyday lives within and beyond fields like human rights, the laws of war, refugee law or international economic law.
• How international law impacts people's everyday lives in hidden ways - including in how it regulates, food, water, and day to day activities.
• Practical dilemmas international law texts pose in the everyday domestic implementation of fields beyond international law, such as criminal law or family law.
• What issues face the day to day lives of those working in international law or for international organizations?
• What initiatives are being taken to raise awareness of the day-to-day impacts of international law with general and particular populations?
• To what extent is the daily life of international law incorporated into the teaching of international law?

How to Submit

Abstracts of no longer than 500 words and a short biography of no more than 150 words should be submitted by September 10th to Dr Jean-Pierre Gauci and Dr Solon Solomon at j.gauci@biicl.org and solon.solomon@brunel.ac.uk respectively (with 'SLS Workshop - Abstract' in the subject line). Successful applicants will be notified by the end of September 2026.