Call for Abstracts: Ius Commune Workshop on Constitutional Processes in the Global Legal Order, 'The Demise of Constitutionalism in International Law?' (Leuven, 25 November 2026)

The Ius Commune Research School has issued a call for abstracts for the workshop "Constitutional Processes in the Global Legal Order" at the Ius Commune Conference 2026 in Leuven (24-25 November 2026). The workshop, titled "The Demise of Constitutionalism in International Law?", takes place on Wednesday 25 November 2026, from 09:00 to 12:00.

The Ius Commune Research School unites legal scholars of KU Leuven, Maastricht University, Utrecht University and the University of Amsterdam.

From the 1990s onwards, constitutionalism became an influential lens through which international lawyers sought to understand transformations in the international legal order: the emergence of normative hierarchies and common values, the reallocation of public authority from states to international institutions, the growing authority of international courts and judicial review, and the development of community interests beyond bilateral interstate relations. The political and institutional context has since changed considerably, with international institutions facing contestation, withdrawal and defunding, and international courts and human rights mechanisms meeting resistance and political pressure.

The workshop asks:

• Does constitutionalism remain a useful lens for understanding contemporary international law?
• Do the processes once described as constitutionalisation still capture significant developments in the international legal order, and which have endured, weakened or changed direction?
• Does constitutionalism still provide a productive framework for analysing the allocation, limitation and legitimation of public authority beyond the state?
• Has the role of universal and regional organisations changed and affected the process of constitutionalisation?
• Was the prominence of international constitutionalism partly tied to a particular post-Cold War historical conjuncture?

The organisers invite established scholars and, in particular, early-career researchers to submit abstracts.

• A presentation title
• An abstract of no more than 500 words
• Institutional affiliation and contact details

Selected speakers will be asked to submit an extended abstract of approximately 1000-1500 words by 20 November 2026.

Following the workshop, the organisers intend to work towards the publication of full-length papers developed from the conference presentations and extended abstracts in a special issue of a relevant academic journal.

The call does not state a registration fee. The Ius Commune Research School is unable to cover speakers' travel or accommodation expenses.

Email your proposal to l.pasquet@uu.nl by 18 October 2026, with the subject line "Submission - Demise of constitutionalism".