About the LHSS Collective:
The LHSS Blog of MNLU Mumbai, initiated in January 2022 metamorphosed into The LHSS Collective after 11 months of its inception as the founding vision of the blog stirred us to expand our operations, outreach and team. The LHSS Blog was formed due to an observable lack of platforms in the global south which were dedicated to studying the intersection between Law and Social Sciences. Hence, MNLU Mumbai approved the creation of such a platform. The faculty in charge for theblogisDrUpamanyuSengupta.Apartfromfunctioningasaregularblog,LHSS successfully consolidated and curated the relevant literature produced in monthly roundups, apart from creating content like editorials, podcasts and such other forms, while actively commissioning and soliciting content from well-known personalities in this field among other things. The collective today delivers on all goals of the blog apart from a renewed approach to collaborating with like- minded sister organizations.
About the Maharashtra National Law University Mumbai:
Maharashtra National Law University Mumbai, established under the Maharashtra National Law University Act 2014 on 20th March 2014, is one of the premier National Law Universities in India. The Act envisaged to establish a National Law University in Maharashtra to impart advanced legal education and promote society-orientedresearchinlegalstudiesfortheadvancementofsocietallifeofthe people in the country.
Hon’ble Dr. Justice D. Y. Chandrachud, Chief Justic of India is the Chancellor of the University and Hon’ble Justice S. V. Gangapurwala, Chief Justice of Bombay High Court is the pro-chancellor of the University, who not only guide but also inspire the institution with their novel ideas and rich experience in the field of law. Prof. (Dr.) Dilip Ukey, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor of the University provides exemplary leadership to the institution in achieving its mandates. The prime goal of the University is to disseminate advanced legal knowledge and processes of law amongstthestudentsandimpartinthemtheskillsofadvocacy,legalservices,law reforms and make them aware and capable to utilize these instruments for social transformation and development.
About the Symposium:
The LHSS International Symposium is a two-day virtual event that brings together scholars, students, and legal professionals to explore the dynamic interplay between law and social sciences. Building on the success of the first edition, this editionofthecompetition,beingheldon11-12May2024,aimstofosteradeeper understanding of crises faced by law. This symposium would also feature some of the most prominent voices in the field over the two days.
About the First edition:
The LHSS Symposium held last year acted as a platform for scholars, academicians, and students to delve into the intricate intersections of law and social sciences. Over the course of three days, speakers from diverse backgrounds shared their insights, fostering enriching discussions and providing a multifaceted perspective on the subject. Distinguished speakers included Dr. Linda Steele from the University of Technology,Sydney;Dr.DilipK.Das from EFLUniversity,Hyderabad; Samyak Ghosh from Krea University;Adv.Disha Wadekar from the Supreme Court of India; Dr. Aravinda Bhat from Manipal Academy of Higher Education; and Prof. Kishu Daswani from Government Law College, Mumbai, and NLSIU, Bangalore.
The symposium, organized by the Collective, aimed to facilitate a deeper understanding of the interface between law and the broader spectrum of social sciences with themes such as Law as Punishment and Digital Humanities and Law. Attendees were encouraged to submit abstracts that could evolve into reflective or research papers, thus contributing to the ongoing discourse in the field.
The event served as a tentative first step towards establishing a cross-institutional platform for dialogue, with the intention of nurturing ongoing conversations and collaborations in this interdisciplinary domain. Through thoughtful deliberations and the sharing of diverse perspectives, the symposium facilitated a deeper appreciation of the complexities inherent in the intersection of law and social sciences.
Submission Guidelines for Abstract:
We are open to abstracts that might develop into either reflective or research papers. While this call is open to all academicians, scholars and students, we are also keen to hear and learn from first hand accounts of current candidates and past graduates of the five year B.A., LL.B. programme in India. Since this symposium is a tentative first step towards a cross-institutional platform for dialogue, we encourage only those who would be able to devote time and meaningfully engage with their peers throughout the sessions to apply.
We are pleased to invite abstracts (of upto 250 words) for the symposium, exploring the intersection of law with various disciplines and enhance the discourse around the vital nature of interdisciplinary studies.
Please email the abstracts to symposiumllhss@mnlumumbai.edu.in on or before 25 March 2024.
Registration:
The registration fee for all participants (both presenters and attendees) is INR 500/-. Detailed registration and payment form will be shared with participants selected for the paper presentation.
Concept:
Note: Navigating the Brink:Law in Crisis
When the Collins English Dictionary determined permacrisis as the 2022 word of theyear,itwasinnodtoanalteredstateofrealityweinhabit.Anewnormal,torisk acliche.Whilesimilarepochsofcollectiveanxietyexistinhistory,apalpablesense of shift has deepened a pandemic and a series of ongoing wars later. Amidst newsfeeds and doomscrolls, crisis has somewhere ceased to be an aberration and emergedasadefaultstateofaffairs.Likeinthepast,lawanditsinstitutionsserve bothasinstrumentsofresolvingthecrisesandalsoexacerbating,orevencausing, them.Acertaindisregardforestablishedrulesbasedordersthereforecoexistswith state machineries using the law to target vulnerable populations. Extended periods of crises force upon us states of exception where citizenship devolves into amerefrontfortheformationofsubjectspliableinvaryingdegrees.Suchstatesof exception, while touted as transitory, often serve to justify excesses of a security state in fighting a crisis.
All the same, crises and states of exception link up in a different, albeit more theoretical, manner in the context of law. A long tradition of European thought that includes unlikely allies such as Carl Schmidt, Hannah Arendt, and Jacques Derrida foreground the very possibility of law, and more specifically justice, in exception and crises. Law in this view is critical in terms of its significance, but more so because of its beginnings in crisis. At its most perfect, law cannot be a functionofmereprecedentsandcitations.Itneedstoengineeranoriginarybreak from the past to deliver justice. In approximating justice, law enters a fleeting momentofself-referentialityandtakesonacreative,constitutiveroleinsteadofa regulative one. As is evident, such exceptionalism risks departure not only from legal precedents but also from social norms. Dr. BR Ambedkar’s invocation of constitutional morality as antidote to entrenched social prejudices in the Indian context is a nudge precisely in that direction. As opposed to the somber notestruck at the start of this writeup then, crises also mark a turning point in the life of law, legality and justice.
Given this background , we invite papers that reflect on the following themes, for example – Globalisation,Crisis and the Law Humanitarian Crisis and Law/InternationalLaw Law and Crisis in the Global South Medico-Legal States of Exception ClimateCrisisandEnvironmentalJustice
Patron:
Prof.(Dr.)DilipUkey
Hon’bleVice Chancellor,
Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai
Co-Patron:
Dr.PratapsinhB.Salunke
RegistrarI/c,
Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai
Advisor:
Dr.KiranRai
HoDPG,
Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai
In case of any query, please feel free to contact:
Dr. Upamanyu Sengupta at (022) 25703188 (between 10.30 am and 4.30 pm);
Email us at symposiumlhss@mnlumumbai.edu.in.