I am happy to post this call for academic papers to be presented at a forthcoming conference in Adelaide (South Australia) on “Theology and Jurisprudence”. (For the moment this will be of interest only to those academics who would like to suggest a paper to be presented.)

Call for papers

Theology and Jurisprudence Symposium  

10 February 2023, Adelaide Law School (‘ALS’), South Australia

Proposal submission deadline: 1 November 2022

THEME: This symposium will focus on the relationship between theology and jurisprudence. Jurisprudence often functionally promotes an atheistic understanding of “law.” However, foundational to many theories of law is some kind of theology.  Natural law, of course, is deeply influenced by its theological articulation through Thomas Aquinas and even the modern “secular” theories of natural law arguably retain vestiges of this influence. The main proponents of Legal Positivism (John Austin and Thomas Hobbes immediately come to mind) often engaged with different aspects of Christian theology. Moreover, this theology is not limited to Christianity; influences vary from Islam and Judaism to Taoism.  The appeal of jurisprudence to ground itself in some kind of theology is not surprising given its need for an ontological account. Historically, the dialectic between theology and jurisprudence can be traced as far back as the ancient Greeks and Romans; geographically, it can be seen as prevalently as Asia and the Middle East. This Symposium aims to consider jurisprudence from a theological standpoint and critically examine the reliance of diverse theories of law on theological perspectives. 

PAPER SUBMISSION: We invite papers that consider the prevailing theological assumptions of diverse legal theories, the different streams of jurisprudence from a theological perspective,  how theology often tends to define and undergird theories of law, and papers on any other issues which engage with theology and jurisprudence. Papers should be completed or at a work-in-progress stage suitable for distribution to other participants by February 1 and should not be published or currently under consideration elsewhere. Presenters will have 20 mins to present their paper with time for comments and questions.

ACCEPTED PAPERS: Authors of accepted papers will have the opportunity to present them at the Symposium to be held at ALS. Presented papers may be considered for publication in a special edition of the Australian Journal of Law and Religion. 

LOCATION: ALS will host the Symposium. Further details and a schedule will be provided. 

CONTACT: If you have any questions or are interested in contributing, please email Dr Constance Lee at c.y.lee@cqu.edu. Please send your paper proposal (up to 200 words) and a brief biography to this address by the submission deadline.