VUB Contextual Research in Law

  The program for the conference " Contested Seas: War, Commerce, and the Making of the Law of the Sea " is now available, including a registration link. More information here .

(image source: University of Cambridge) Drs. Louis Debersaques  will present his paper “(Un)built to Escape Inspection? Problematising the Building Sector as an Industrial Category in (Inter)national Statistics. Case Study: Belgium, 1890s” at the Twelfth Annual Conference of the Construction History Society , held at Queens' College, Cambridge, from 25 to 27 September 2026.  This year’s conference focuses on “Building Practice: regulation, corruption, and adaptation.”  More information here .

Drs.  Hugo von Vietinghoff will participate in the XXXth   Annual Forum of Young Legal Historians , entitled Values in Law through the Ages , which will take place at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań from 23 to 26 September 2026.  He will present a paper entitled “Legal Diversity and Financial Values in Early Modern Cities” , exploring the relationship between legal diversity, commercial practices and financial values in early modern urban contexts. The Annual Forum brings together young legal historians from across Europe and beyond to discuss historical approaches to law and its underlying values.  Read more about the conference here .

  (image source: Rechtshistorikertag ) Prof. Dave De ruysscher will present at the German Legal History Days ( Deutscher Rechtshistorikertag ) on Wednesday. See program here .

(image source: ESIL )   dr. Stefano Cattelan will present at the European Society of International Law/Société européenne de droit international 's Annual Conference, namely at the pre-conference event " Conflict, Crisis, Continuity - Historical Perspectives " at the Universidad de Malaga on 3 September 2026, organised by the Interest Group History of International Law. More information on the ESIL IGHIL's website .

(image source ( ACFHAB )  The Conference of Historical and Archaeological Societies of Belgium will return to Brussels for its next edition. The event will take place at the Palace of the Academies from 20 to 23 August 2026 , with the support of the French-Speaking Community of Belgium, the Académie Royale de Belgique, urban.brussels, and the City of Brussels.  The section devoted to Institutional and Legal History , chaired by Prof. em. Jean-Marie Cauchies with dr. Marc Ronvaux and Prof. Frederik Dhondt as vice-presidents and dr. Nicolas Simon as secretary, will bring together a series of academic presentations. Prof. Frederik Dhondt   will present on “ The little-known memoir of the Count of Calenberg on the Ostend Company (1725) ”, as detailed in the official programme. drs. Antoine Leclère also communicated in this section.  Learn more about the program and details here .

  (image source: SHD Turin ) dr. Stefano Cattelan and Prof. Frederik Dhondt will present at the Journées internationales  of the Société d'Histoire du Droit , organised in Turin by the University of Turin around the theme "Droit de l’art, du patrimoine et des biens culturels: histoires, normes, circulations". More information on the conference website .

  The website for the 59th Congress of the Federation of Archaeological and Historical Societies of Belgium/12th Congress of French-Speaking Societies of History and Archaeology of Belgium (ACfHAB) is now fully functional. Proposals for the section  Institutional and Legal History (incl. sigillography)  can be sent through the form on the website, or directly to the President (prof. em. Jean-Marie Cauchies/ARB), the Vice-Presidents (Marc Ronvaux - Prof.  Frederik Dhondt ) or  Secretary (dr. Nicolas Simon/ARB). More information  here .

(plan de la ville, du château et du parc... de Versailles; source: Wikimedia Commons )  Sixteen speakers (among whom drs. Antoine Leclère - dr. Stefano Cattelan - prof. Frederik Dhondt ) are announced for the Journées internationales de la Société d'histoire du droit et des institutions des pays flamands, picards et wallons: dirigeants et dirigés, to be held in Versailles on 15 and 16 May 2026. Journées internationales d’Histoire du droit et des institutions des pays flamands, picards et wallons I nternationale rechtshistorische dagen van de Vereniging voor de Geschiedenis van het Recht en de Instituties van Vlaanderen, Picardië en Wallonië     Versailles, les 15 et 16 mai 2026   “Dirigeants et dirigés”   Programme provisoire   Vendredi 15 mai 2026   9 h 30 :  Accueil des participants au Musée Lambinet 9 h 45 : Ouverture du colloque par les organisateurs, Catherine Lecomte et Tanguy Le Marc’hadour 10 h : Séance 1 - Gouvernant...

The website for the 59th Congress of the Federation of Archaeological and Historical Societies of Belgium/12th Congress of French-Speaking Societies of History and Archaeology of Belgium (ACfHAB) is now fully functional. Proposals for the section Institutional and Legal History (incl. sigillography) can be sent through the form on the website, or directly to the President (prof. em. Jean-Marie Cauchies/ARB), the Vice-Presidents (Marc Ronvaux - Prof. Frederik Dhondt ) or  Secretary (dr. Nicolas Simon/ARB). More information here .

  (image source: NextGenLegal Scholars Conference ) The program of the "1st NextGen Legal Scholars Conference", an event co-organised by the assistants at the Faculty of Law and Criminology, including drs. Rodrick Van der Smissen , is available here . Drs. Hugo Brethenoux von Vietinghoff will present a paper, Prof. Frederik Dhondt will preside a session.

(image: CHUK; source: QS China ) dr. Stefano Cattelan will present at the Asian Legal History Conference , with the support of a FWO travel grant.  Full program below: Day  1: 17 March 2026 (13:00 – 17:30) CUHK Graduate Law Centre (GLC), 2 nd Floor, Bank of America Tower 12 Harcourt Rd, Central, Hong Kong Island 13:00-14:00 Introduction to the Conference and Keynote Address (Venu e: GLC Moot Court) Introduction and Welcome to CUHK Professor Renisa Mawani, Canada Research Chair in Colonial Legal Histories, University of British Colombia Title: The Time of Emergency in Colonial India, Burma, and Siam, 1914-1921 14:00-14:15 Break       Venue: GLC Moot Court Venue: Lecture Theatre 1 Venue: Classroom 5 14:15-15:45 1.1 From Socialist Labour Discipline to Legal Governance: Historical Trajectories of PRC Labour Law ...