CORE/FRC LEGAL THEORY SEMINAR: Wiebe HOMMES, The Convention and the Kingdom. How the Netherlands Received the European Convention on Human Rights [Law in Context] (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2025), ISBN 9781009676816 (Ixelles: VUB, RC Council Room, 19 MAR 2026)

 

(image source: ESCLH blog)

Dr. Wiebe Hommes (UvA) will present his recent monograph The Convention and the Kingdom. How the Netherlands received the European Convention on Human Rights (Cambridge University Press, 2025) on 19 March 2026 at 14:00 in the Faculty Council Room.

On the book:

How and why did the European Convention turn from a neglected legal tool into one of the most important human rights documents in legal practice? This book argues this remarkable development wasn't merely the result of a top-down movement initiated by the European Court, but of a far more dynamic process in which the national and European spheres engaged in constant co-creation. Focusing on the Netherlands and uncovering little known archival sources, it lays bare how the Convention was received over time throughout the entire Kingdom. In doing so, it incorporates insight into how European human rights were perceived in Europe and beyond. A much more varied story comes to light in which contingency and interaction take centre stage, and which uncovers the choices that continue to shape the character of the Convention as we know it today.

Prof. dr. Laurent De Sutter (CORE, curator of the CORE Legal Theory Seminar) will respond to the author. 

This is a joint event of the research groups CORE and FRC.

RSVP with rodrick dot van dot der dot smissen at vub dot be. Hybrid participation possible.