Call for Proposals: ISCLH Seventh Biennial Conference on Chinese Law and History, Wuhan, China (June 18-19, 2027)

The International Society for Chinese Law and History (ISCLH) was established in 2014 and describes itself as the leading international hub for Chinese legal historians, with approximately 150 members worldwide. The society runs workshops in North America and biennial conferences in Asia.

ISCLH has held four in-person biennial conferences to date, co-sponsored by Fudan University (Shanghai, 2015), China University of Political Science and Law (Beijing, 2017), Taipei University (Taipei, 2019) and Peking University (Beijing, 2025). Two further conferences were held virtually in 2021 and 2023. The Seventh Biennial Conference will be held in Wuhan, China on 18 and 19 June 2027.

The conference theme is 'Chinese Law in Motion: Change, Practice, Circulation, and Continuity'. The organisers write that law is never static: across different historical periods and political regimes, Chinese law has evolved through processes of reform, adaptation, transmission and contestation. Legal institutions, ideas, texts and practices have moved across jurisdictions, social groups and geographic spaces while also preserving and reconfiguring enduring traditions and norms.

The theme invites inquiry into the ways Chinese law has changed, circulated and persisted across diverse historical and social contexts. ISCLH interprets Chinese law and its culture broadly, covering:

• legal systems and practices in traditional China proper;
• those of peripheral regions;
• those pertaining to Chinese communities beyond national borders.

Work that approaches law comparatively or from a transnational perspective is especially welcome, as is work that invites theoretical and methodological discussion.

As with previous conferences, ISCLH welcomes submissions on any aspect of Chinese legal history from any period, not only papers responding to the 2027 theme. The call sets no nationality, institutional or career-stage restriction, so scholars based outside China, including those in India, may submit.

Proposals and presentations may be made in either English or Chinese.

The conference is held in person. Virtual participation is not accommodated, so a proposer should plan on travelling to Wuhan.

• Organised panels are encouraged: 3 to 4 papers in dialogue with each other under a general topic.
• Individual paper proposals are also welcome. If selected, they will be grouped with other papers into panels by the organisers.

All panel and paper proposals must go through the ISCLH 2027 Biennial Conference Submission System, a Qualtrics form that opened on 1 July 2026. Nothing is submitted by email.

For a panel proposal, the submission system asks for:

• panel title and abstract, 300 words maximum;
• the organiser's and every presenter's name, email, WeChat handle if available, position and affiliation, type of travel document, whether they are applying for the travel grant, and each paper title and abstract of 300 words maximum;
• chair or discussant information, which may be left blank if it has not been finalised.

For an individual paper proposal, the system asks for the presenter's name, email, WeChat handle if available, position and affiliation, type of travel document, whether the presenter is applying for the travel grant, and the paper title and abstract of 300 words maximum.

The conference registration fee is waived for active ISCLH members. An accepted presenter must either show that they hold active membership covering the conference dates by 1 April 2027, or pay a one-time conference registration fee. The society has not announced the amount of that registration fee in the call.

ISCLH membership dues are set by annual income band and are payable by PayPal or card: US$30 per year for an annual income of US$50,000 or less, US$60 for US$50,000 to US$90,000, and US$90 above US$90,000. Multi-year rates carry a discount, for example US$57 for two years and US$108 for four years at the lowest band.

Participants are responsible for their own transportation and lodging. The local co-organiser will help make hotel reservations for 2 or 3 nights for accepted participants at the participants' own cost, and participants are also free to arrange their own accommodation. Meals during the conference period will be provided by the co-organiser.

ISCLH will provide a limited number of travel grants to offset part of the travel costs. These are available only to graduate students and early career scholars who are ISCLH members and are presenting at the conference. Priority goes to those travelling internationally or a long distance to Wuhan, which is relevant for applicants based in India. The travel grant is requested inside the proposal form itself.

Inquiries about the ISCLH 2027 Biennial Conference should go to isclh2027@gmail.com. Questions about membership applications or about paying the membership or registration fee should go to the Society Secretary, Dr. Weilin Xiao, at wlxiao@hku.hk, or the Society Treasurer, Prof. Jenny H. Day, at jhuangfu@skidmore.edu.