Call for Papers: HKU-Cornell Asian Legal Studies Workshop 2026 at The University of Hong Kong [21-22 December 2026; Travel and Lodging Reimbursed; Abstracts by 20 October 2026]

The Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong and Cornell Law School invite submissions for the HKU-Cornell Asian Legal Studies Workshop, co-hosted by Professor Xin He (HKU Faculty of Law) and Professor Yun-chien Chang (Cornell Law School). The call is published by the Philip K.H. Wong Centre for Chinese Law at HKU Faculty of Law. The workshop will be held at The University of Hong Kong on 21-22 December 2026.

The workshop aims to foster rigorous studies on Asian jurisdictions, preferably using empirical methods. It brings together a select group of junior scholars to present work-in-progress in an intensive, feedback-driven environment. Each paper will receive sustained commentary from senior discussants, with the goal of strengthening the work for publication in leading peer-reviewed journals and law reviews.

• Career stage: all authors must be at the rank of Associate Professor or below (including Assistant Professors, Postdoctoral Fellows and equivalent research-track positions).
• Subject matter: papers must focus on Asian jurisdictions, preferably with empirical methodologies (qualitative, quantitative or mixed-methods).
• Language: papers must be written in English.
• Status: papers must be unpublished at the time of the workshop.
• Co-authorship: co-authored papers are welcome, provided all authors meet the career-stage requirement.

The call sets no nationality or institutional restriction, so faculty members and postdoctoral researchers at Indian universities who meet the career-stage requirement may submit work on India or other Asian jurisdictions.

Approximately eight to ten papers will be selected for full presentation. Each paper will be assigned to a senior commentator, who will offer detailed remarks before opening the discussion to all participants.

• Abstract stage: submit an abstract of no more than two pages in English. The abstract should state the research question, describe the methodology, summarise the argument and explain the paper's contribution to the literature.
• Selection: abstracts will be reviewed by the workshop organisers. Successful applicants will be invited to submit full papers.
• Full paper: invited papers should not exceed 15,000 words, including footnotes. The call lists 7 December 2026 as the full paper deadline and also notes that the final deadline for full papers will be approximately two weeks before the workshop.

For selected papers, the host organisation will reimburse travel costs (economy airfare) and two nights' lodging. The official call does not mention any submission or participation fee.

Email your abstract (no more than two pages, in English) to Mr. Yumo Yao at yaoym6@hku.hk by 20 October 2026. All submissions and inquiries go to the same address.