Seventh Conference for Junior Researchers

Seventh Conference for Junior Researchers

The Role of Courts, Litigation, and Other Legal Institutions in an Age of Social Conflict

The Law and Society Association at Stanford Law School (LSAS) is pleased to announce its Seventh Conference for Junior Researchers. After a long pandemic break, LSAS resumes its activities under a new name, reviving an international space of discussions and networking for young scholars. This one-day conference provides a forum for junior researchers to share their current research projects on law and society and receive input from faculty and other participants. The conference will also feature a keynote address by an internationally renowned scholar.

The seventh edition of the Conference for Junior Researchers will explore "the role of courts, litigation, and other legal institutions in an age of social conflict." It is clear that one role of the legal system is to contain and deal with social conflicts, but the impact of these conflicts on the legal system is a subject of debate. In part, the issue is one of definition: what is a social conflict? What is its influence on legal institutions?

In recent years, polarization, extremism, and radicalization seem to have increased social conflict. Social media have played a role in this process. Legal institutions respond-- in many ways. The overturning of Roe v. Wade (1973) illustrates a response to the conflict over abortion in the United States. But there are many conflicts, in many societies, of many types. This conference will explore how courts, legislatures, and other legal institutions behave or change in light of old and new social conflicts.

We welcome topics that touch on the impact and relevance of legal institutions in shaping social movements; the functioning and malfunctioning of these institutions in the light of social conflict; the express and symbolic roles of legal institutions in mediating social conflict; and many other topics that are relevant to the general theme.