Call for Papers: International Conference on Reflexive Globalisation and the Law at NLSIU, Bengaluru [Offline; 12-14 Nov 2027]

National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, along with the Centre for Advanced Studies Reflexive Globalisation and the Law (RefLex) at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, invites papers for the International Conference on Reflexive Globalisation and the Law – (South) Asian Perspectives, to be held in Bengaluru from 12–14 November 2027.

The conference will explore the dynamics of law and globalization, with particular attention to colonial legacies and their impact on law and legal discourse in the 21st century.

Ongoing debates around colonial legacies in a multipolar world mark a new phase of globalisation that is reflexive. Traditionally viewed in economic terms and often seen as a unidirectional process, ultimately one of “Westernisation”, globalisation in this new phase reveals critical intellectual dimensions and is becoming more multidirectional. The positions of South and North, of periphery and centre, are being redefined and rebalanced. The Northern foundations of concepts, vocabularies and epistemic assumptions, along with the Northern dominance in knowledge production, are increasingly challenged for their colonial and imperial legacies.

The conference is co-organised by RefLex and the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru. RefLex is funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation).

• Reflexive globalisation in public (including public international) law, (international)
• Criminal law and transitional justice / transnational law
• Strategies and practice of reflexive globalisation: activism, litigation, campaigns, networks
• History and theory of globalisation, modernity and reflexivity
• Relationships between globalisation and other social phenomena in the context of law

Participants are invited to focus on (South) Asia, but other regions can also be covered, for example by taking a comparative perspective.

The conference will bring together legal scholars, but also scholars from humanities and social sciences as well as practitioners with an academic interest. It aims to focus on voices from (South) Asia in particular. Scholars in early career stages are particularly encouraged to submit abstracts.

• Abstract (300 words) and bio-note (300 words): 30 November 2026
• Notification of acceptance: May 2027
• Conference: 12–14 November 2027

Submit an abstract of no more than 300 words and a short biographical note of no more than 300 words to reflex.ontour@hu-berlin.de by 30 November 2026 at the latest. When submitting your abstract, kindly indicate whether you also apply for a travel grant.

Accommodation for all invited participants will be provided for the duration of the conference. In addition, a limited number of travel grants (up to EUR 1.000 for intercontinental, up to EUR 500 for regional, and up to EUR 200 for domestic travel) will be available for scholars who are not able to self-fund their participation.

• Professor Dr Aparna Chandra, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, India
• Professor Dr Philipp Dann, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany

For inquiries, write to reflex.ontour@hu-berlin.de. The notice does not state a registration fee or a full-paper submission requirement; it asks only for an abstract and a bio-note at this stage.