BOOK PRESENTATION: Stefano CATTELAN, Mare Clausum. Law and Power at Sea (Brussels: Brussel School of Governance, 15 OCT 2026)

-

 

(click on image to enlarge)

Dr. Stefano Cattelan will present his recent prize-winning monograph Mare Clausum: The Formation of the Law of the Sea in Pre-modern State Practice and Legal Doctrine (c. 1350–1650) (Brill, Legal History Library/Studies in the History of International Law) at the Brussels School of Governance on Thursday 15 October at 18:00 (room "Nice").

Disputants will be dr. Daniel Quiroga-Villamarín (Vienna) and Prof. em. dr. Erik Franckx (VUB). Prof. dr. Stefaan Smis (VUB) will moderate.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CALL FOR PAPERS: PhD student conference NextGen Legal Scholars Conference (Brussels: VUB, 20 MAR 2026; DEADLINE 30 JAN 2026)

-
Image
  The Faculty of Law and Criminology of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) is proud to announce the very first edition of the NextGen Legal Scholars Conference (NLSC). This doctoral conference will take place on Friday March 20 th 2026 in Brussels (BE), featuring a fully in-person programme of keynote speeches and thematic panels . NLSC 2026 invites predoctoral and early postdoctoral legal researchers (within 2 years of finishing PhD) to reflect on the evolving role of law in times of structural uncertainty. Global crises are challenging the capacity of legal systems to maintain justice and stability. Ongoing wars and occupations have raised complex international law questions, such as the legality of interventions, state sovereignty, and the protection of human rights during armed conflicts. Populist and authoritarian regimes are continuously contesting democratic values and the rule of law, both on a domestic and international level. Deepening socioeconomic inequalities ha...
Read more

CALL FOR PAPERS: International Conference: Contested Seas. War, Commerce, and the Making of the Law of the Sea (c. 1400–1800) (Ostend: VUB/VLIZ, 19-20 NOV 2026) [DEADLINE 15 MAY 2026]

-
Image
International Conference: Contested Seas: War, Commerce, and the Making of the Law of the Sea (c. 1400–1800) 19-20 November 2026, Ostend, Belgium Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Campus Ostend / Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) Conveners : Stefano Cattelan & Frederik Dhondt (Vrije Universiteit Brussel – Faculty of Law and Criminology, Research Group CORE) Keynote speakers :  Surabhi Ranganathan (Lauterpacht Centre, University of Cambridge) Indravati Félicité (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg) Concept and Rationale: The early modern law of the sea did not emerge as a coherent or pacified body of rules. Rather, it took shape as a fragmented and deeply contested legal regime. It was forged through recurrent warfare, commercial rivalry, and persistent struggles over jurisdiction and enforcement at sea. The pelagic arena was characterised by o verlapping jurisdictions, uneven enforcement, and profound asymmetries of power (Benton, 2010). The freedom of the s...
Read more

PROJECT: ERC Consolidator Grant for Prof. Frederik DHONDT (TREATYLAB, “The Labyrinth of Treaties, 1712-1763”. International Law Behind the Scenes of Early Enlightenment Diplomacy.)

-
Image
  The European Research Council awarded Prof. Frederik Dhondt with a prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant for the proposal TREATYLAB (“The Labyrinth of Treaties, 1712-1763”. International Law Behind the Scenes of Early Enlightenment Diplomacy"). Proposal abstract: The past of international law (the law produced and applicable between polities) is studied from various disciplinary perspectives. Our scholarly image prior to 1870 mainly rests on accounts of philosophy and theory, or the published final product of negotiations, treaties. This image ought to be corrected. International law is continuously produced and interpreted by the actors. The advisory work of Nicolas-Louis Le Dran (1687-1774), top civil servant in the forerunner of the French Foreign Ministry (bureaux des affaires étrangères) contains hundreds of substantial works drawn up on the basis of diplomatic correspondence and treaties, but also doctrine. Le Dran composed forward-looking advice for political decision maker...
Read more