Stanford-Hamburg Conference on Historical Trajectories in Foundations of Law from the 12th to 20th Century

23. März 2026, von Internetredaktion

On March 23-24, 2026, the University of Hamburg, Stanford Law School, and CISAL will jointly host a two-day conference at the Warburghaus in Hamburg.

The conference traces the dramatic shifts in legal thought—from medieval Christian natural law and the rationalism of the Enlightenment, to the rise of modern positivism in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the post-WWII renaissance of natural law. By comparing developments in German legal thinking with common-law approaches, the symposium offers a timely look at the foundations of liberal democratic legal systems.

Hosts:
Prof. Dr. Matthias Armgardt (University of Hamburg), Prof. Dr. Amalia D. Kessler (Stanford Law School), and Prof. Dr. Saskia Lettmaier (University of Hamburg).

Presenters:
Following opening remarks by Dean Prof. Dr. Tilman Repgen, presentations will be delivered by renowned scholars including Prof. Dr. Emanuele Conte, Prof. Dr. Helle Vogt, Prof. Dr. Matthias Armgardt, Prof. Dr. Saskia Lettmaier, Prof. Dr. Amalia Kessler, Prof. Dr. Bernadette Meyler, Prof. Dr. Marietta Auer, Prof. Dr. Martin Borowski, and Prof. Dr. Pierluigi Chiassoni.

Moderators:
The thematic panels covering the Middle Ages, the Early Modern period, and the 19th/20th centuries will be moderated by Prof. Dr. Werner Rieß, Prof. Dr. Martin Sunnqvist, Prof. Dr. Jochen Bung, Prof. Dr. Mattias Wendel, and Prof. Dr. Stefan Oeter.

For the full program, exact times, and further information, please visit the official conference webpage.