Call for Proposals: The Seventh Biennial Conference of the International Society for Chinese Law and History (ISCLH)
Theme: “Chinese Law in Motion: Change, Practice, Circulation, and Continuity.” Wuhan, China, June 18-19, 2027. Proposal submission link: ISCLH 2027 Biennial Conference Submission System. Submission Deadline: August 31, 2026.
The International Society for Chinese Law and History (ISCLH), established in 2014, is the leading international hub for Chinese legal historians, boasting approximately 150 members worldwide. The society organizes workshops in North America and biennial conferences in Asia. To date, ISCLH has successfully organized four in-person biennial conferences, with co-sponsorship of Fudan University (Shanghai, 2015), China University of Political Science and Law (Beijing, 2017), Taipei University (Taipei, 2019), and Peking University (Beijing, 2025), respectively. Additionally, the society also hosted two virtual conferences in 2021 and 2023.
The Seventh Biennial Conference will be held in Wuhan, China on June 18-19, 2027. As with previous conferences, we welcome submissions on any aspect of Chinese legal history from any period.
We especially encourage submissions that highlight this year's theme, “Chinese Law in Motion: Change, Practice, Circulation, and Continuity.” Law is never static. Across different historical periods and political regimes, Chinese law has evolved through processes of reform, adaptation, transmission, and contestation. Legal institutions, ideas, texts, and practices have moved across jurisdictions, social groups, and geographic spaces, while also preserving and reconfiguring enduring traditions and norms. This theme encourages inquiry into the ways Chinese law has changed, circulated, and persisted across diverse historical and social contexts. We interpret Chinese law and its culture broadly, encompassing legal systems and practices in traditional China proper, those of peripheral regions, and those pertaining to Chinese communities beyond national borders. Works that approach law comparatively or from a transnational perspective are especially welcome. So are works that invite theoretical and methodological discussion.
Conference format and submission guidelines. This conference is held in person; virtual participation is not accommodated in principle.
We encourage the submission of proposals for organized panels, with 3-4 papers in dialogue with each other under a general topic. You are also welcome to submit individual paper proposals, which, if selected, will be grouped together with other papers into panels. The proposal and the presentation can be in either English or Chinese.
Please use the ISCLH 2027 Biennial Conference Submission System to submit panel or individual paper proposals.
You will need the following information to complete the submission. [For a] panel proposal:
- panel title and abstract (300 words maximum);
- organizer and all presenters' name, email, WeChat (if available), position and affiliation, type of travel document, whether they apply for the Travel Grant, paper title and abstract (300 words maximum);
- chair/discussant information (you can leave it blank if the chair/discussant hasn't been finalized yet)
[For an] individual paper proposal:
- presenter's name, email, WeChat (if available), position and affiliation, type of travel document, whether you apply for the Travel Grant, paper title and abstract (300 words maximum)
Important Dates. Abstract submission deadline: August 31, 2026. Notification of Acceptance: October 15, 2026
Registration, Logistics, and Travel Grant. The conference registration fee will be waived for active ISCLH members. Accepted presenters must either demonstrate that they have active membership during the conference dates by April 1, 2027, or pay a one-time conference registration fee.
Participants are responsible for their own transportation and lodging. The co-organizer of the conference will help make reservations for 2 or 3 nights of hotel rooms for accepted participants at the participants’ cost. Participants are also welcome to make their own hotel arrangements according to their preferences. Meals during the conference period will be provided by the co-organizer.
We will provide a limited number of travel grants, available for graduate students and early career scholars who are ISCLH members and are presenting at the conference, to offset part of the travel costs. Priorities will be given to those who travel internationally or a long distance to Wuhan for the conference.
Contact. Please direct any inquiries about the ISCLH 2027 Biennial Conference to isclh2027@gmail.com.
