Call for Papers: 2nd International Conference on Human Rights, Decolonising Human Rights: Towards Pluriversality [Hybrid, Kolkata; 21-22 January 2027; ISBN Edited Book]
Xavier Law School, St. Xavier's University, Kolkata.About the Conference
Xavier Law School, St. Xavier's University, Kolkata, is organising the 2nd International Conference on Human Rights on the theme Decolonising Human Rights: Towards Pluriversality, to be held on 21 and 22 January 2027 in hybrid mode.
For decades the international human rights regime has been built on a presumption of universality, the idea that a single, homogenous framework can and should be applied identically across the globe. In the process of decolonisation, that universalist approach is increasingly recognised as an imposition rather than a neutral baseline. While the literature on human rights suggests a concept of universal liberation, the structure of international law, deeply rooted in colonial history and Western jurisprudence, often serves to protect global capital and to establish systemic inequalities, enforcing Western liberal priorities such as hyper-individualism, absolute private property and anthropocentric capitalism while delimiting alternative ways of being.
The organisers set out three foundational pillars of pluriversality: shifting from individualism to collectivism; decentering humans and recognising the rights of Nature; and developing epistemic disobedience in international law. The conference aims to explore new directions in human rights scholarship by engaging with the intellectual frameworks, experiences and priorities of (ex)colonial voices in the global south and other non-Western contexts, treating decolonisation not as a historical event of statehood but as an ongoing requirement for the international legal order. By bringing together perspectives from law, the social sciences and the humanities, it seeks interdisciplinary dialogue on decolonial research and a reimagining of rights, self-determination and political organisation.
Indicative Sub-themes
Original manuscripts are invited on the following indicative sub-themes:
- Decolonial frameworks, methods and vocabularies in law, humanities and social sciences
- Corporate accountability and decolonising commerce
- Decolonising education: curriculum, pedagogy and praxis
- Decolonising crime, policing and prisons
- Decolonising health and the ethics of care
- Indigenous rights and cultural heritage
- Posthumanism and literary studies
- Feminist perspectives from the Global South
- Jurisprudential foundations and epistemic justice: TWAIL and decolonising courts
- Political economy of international law and global capital
- Climate action in the Global South
- Environmental governance in more-than-human worlds
- Trade sovereignty and the decolonisation of investment
- Technology and new legal subjectivities: rights of the future and non-humans
- Enforcement, institutions and the future of the legal order
Who Can Participate
Full papers are accepted from academicians, professionals and research scholars. Postgraduate students may also take part, but they are eligible for offline poster presentations only.
Foreign scholars, including those from SAARC countries, are provided for in the fee structure and may participate in either mode.
Abstract Submission Guidelines
Abstracts must be submitted by 15 September 2026 and should carry:
- An abstract of a maximum of 500 words
- A brief biography of a maximum of 150 words
- The author's institutional affiliation
Abstracts are to be emailed to ichr.sxuk@gmail.com. Notification of acceptance is scheduled for 20 September 2026.
First Draft, Full Paper and Formatting
Authors whose abstracts are accepted must submit a first draft by 31 October 2026. The first draft is to be a working paper reflecting the research problem, objectives, methodology and related elements. Notification of acceptance of the first draft follows on 10 November 2026.
The full paper of 5,000 to 8,000 words is due by 15 January 2027.
Formatting requirements:
- File format: MS Word
- Font: Times New Roman, title bold 14pt, body text 12pt, footnotes 10pt
- Line spacing: 1.5
- Citation style: OSCOLA 4th Edition
Poster Presentations for PG Students
Postgraduate students present posters, offline only. Posters must measure 4 x 3 feet and follow an Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion structure. Each poster must display the track name, the title, the authors, their affiliations and the institutional logo.
Registration Fees
Fees are shown as standard / early bird. Early bird registration runs from 12 to 30 November 2026; standard registration runs from 1 December 2026 to 10 January 2027.
Offline participation
- Academicians and professionals, single authored: Rs 2,500 / Rs 2,000
- Academicians and professionals, co-authored: Rs 3,500 / Rs 3,000
- Research scholars, single authored: Rs 1,500 / Rs 1,000
- Research scholars, co-authored: Rs 2,500 / Rs 2,000
- PG students, poster, single authored: Rs 1,500 / Rs 1,000
- PG students, poster, co-authored: Rs 2,000 / Rs 2,000
Online participation
- Academicians and professionals, single authored: Rs 1,500 / Rs 1,000
- Academicians and professionals, co-authored: Rs 2,500 / Rs 2,000
- Research scholars, single authored: Rs 1,500 / Rs 1,000
- Research scholars, co-authored: Rs 2,500 / Rs 2,000
- PG student poster presentations are not available online
Foreign scholars, including SAARC: USD 60 for both offline and online participation.
The last date of registration is 10 January 2027.
Publication Opportunity
The best selected papers will be published as an edited book with an ISBN by a reputable publisher, and some papers will be published in a special issue of Xavier Law Review, the law review of Xavier Law School.
How to Apply
Email your abstract, along with the brief biography and institutional affiliation, to ichr.sxuk@gmail.com on or before 15 September 2026. The full call for papers, including the sub-themes and the complete fee table, is available in the official brochure on the St. Xavier's University announcements page.